County council determined to keep on top of potholes
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE County Council has pledged to keep on top of the problem of potholes this year – and is asking residents to get in touch if they see one which they think needs repairing.
Last year the county council spent £2.8m on repairing potholes and during 2013/14 will be spending an extra £1m on top of that.
“We are busy filling in and repairing potholes all year round,” says Coun Richard Jackson, chairman of the county council’s transport and highways committee.
“However, it’s just about now that the damage to our roads caused by the winter weather really makes itself known.
“We’re not alone – it’s a picture that is repeated right across the country.”
The constant freezing and thawing action of water as it gets into cracks in the roads over the winter months means that those cracks get bigger. The thawing water washes the broken material out of the cracks and cars travelling along the road hit those small cracks, vibrating even more material out of them.
As the holes get bigger, the bumping gets more severe, breaking even more of the surface loose.
As the weather starts to improve then so do conditions for the council to repair potholes – it is best to fill them when the weather is dry so that water within the cracks doesn’t get trapped inside the road that has been repaired.
The extra £1m being spent this year will fund the repair of at least 5,000 more potholes in addition to the 36,000 already made each year. Investment in new techniques and materials will ensure those repairs are of lasting, high quality.
“That figure might look high – but we’re determined to keep on top of things,” said Coun Jackson.
“We’re spending more, we’re repairing more and – thanks to our online reporting system – we’re identifying more potholes that need fixing.
“We are investing in our roads and in new methods that will help prevent potholes forming in the first place but, with the best will in the world, we can’t possibly know about every single one so, odd as it might sound, we’re pleased that people are getting in touch to complain.”
Once a pothole has been reported, the county council aims to respond as quickly as possible in order to reduce the chance of the damage spreading.
Anyone wanting to report a pothole can do so by going online at www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk or calling 0300 500 80 80.
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Weather for Hucknall
Monday 20 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
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