Fewer pot hole problems as council investment pays off

Numbers have reduced from 34,000 a decade ago to 11,000 in the first nine months of the last financial year - likely to mean 15,000 for the full year.

The council has been pumping money into improving roads through better maintenance for the last ten years and that is to continue with an extra £16m to be spent.

Insurance claims against the authority are at the lowest ever recorded, as a result.

The next round of cash will pay for 187 roads to be resurfaced, along with 95 pavements across the borough.

Locations to benefit from work include the A57, Moorgate Road, Doncaster Road at Hooton Robert and Aldwarke Lane.

Roads are classified as A, B or C, and council statistics now show the percentage needing repairs is below the national average.

Trunk roads, classified as A roads, need attention to 2.67 per cent of the network, set against a national average of four per cent.

Smaller B and C roads have 2.5 per cent of the network needing repair, but the national average is seven per cent - almost three times as high.

Latest figures show 11.1 per cent of Rotherham’s 770km unclassified road network requires repair, compared with the national average of 17 per cent. National average figures are provided by the Department of Transport.

Those statistics are the dividend or £39m directed to highway repairs in the last nine years.

Over the last year, repairs have been carried out through 235 maintenance schemes, totalling 31.7 miles of roads and 5.6 miles of footpaths.

Residents are noticing the difference, with 89 per cent of those surveys reporting satisfaction with how repairs are handled.

Cllr Robert Taylor, Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy, said: “Safe, high-quality roads and footways are essential for everyone in Rotherham – whether you’re walking to school, cycling to work, or driving across the borough – and that’s why we’ve made them a top priority.

“By using innovative materials and cost-effective repair methods, we’re delivering long-lasting improvements while making every pound of public money count.

“We’re already seeing the impact – with fewer potholes, fewer claims, and more residents telling us we’re getting it right.”