The government will fund early research into new road surface materials and pothole repair techniques, harnessing technologies like 3D printing as part of a new £201m fund.
Transport secretary Chris Grayling has announced the allocation of an extra £50m for councils for potholes and flood resilience as well as £151m to reward examples of councils’ best practice. A digital hub will also be set up for experts to share and develop innovations.
These funds come from the £6.6bn the government is providing in the 6 years to 2021 to improve local roads.
Grayling said: “Today’s investment is on top of the £725m local authorities will receive in 2019/20, based on the infrastructure they maintain, including length of roads, number of bridges and street lights.
“Road users are already seeing the benefits of extra funding for road maintenance, with £420m spent in the past six months on resurfacing, pothole repairs and bridge renewals. Several local authorities have also bought pothole repair machines such as Dragon Patchers and JetPatchers – to help repair potholes and other defects quickly.”
The Department for Transport, along with Cumbria County Council and highway survey firm Gaist, is also trialling low-cost sensors to monitor river levels across the region to reduce the risk of future flood damage.
In north-east Lincolnshire the council and partner Engie have introduced a new heat and recycle system which mixes new and existing surfaces to create a thermo-bond and reduce the potential for weak points which let in water, creating potholes. As the technique recycles the existing surface, no waste is taken to landfill.
The government has also already announced it will be providing £23m for trials of new technologies to develop pothole-free roads, such as using kinetic energy to heat surfaces, recycling plastic waste into a harder-wearing surface or installing sensors to predicts where issues might occur.
A guide on best practice on pothole repair, developed with the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport, has also been published today.
The Department for Transport is currently consulting on ensuring road repairs last longer by requiring utility companies to guarantee their roadworks for up to five years, instead of two presently.
It is also set to announce a review of road condition surveying data and technology. Its call for evidence will seek views on the current methodology used to monitor road condition as well as how councils and the wider sector can harness new forms of technology and data to improve local roads and infrastructure.
