City council target to fix road defects – smashed!

DRIVE campaign
DRIVE campaign image
Published: Friday, 6th September 2024

The ambitious target was set back in May, as part of the DRIVE campaign, to get the city’s roads back to good repair.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s highways team has smashed its own ambitious target to fix 6,000 road defects in just six months, thanks to the latest speedy technology.

Highways have managed to fix over 6,500 defects in just four months, compared to what would have been an estimated 222 in the same period using traditional repair methods.

The ambitious target was set back in May, as part of the DRIVE campaign, to get the city’s roads back to good repair, and has been achieved thanks to the city council’s investment in the pothole pro-technology.

The investment has most certainly paid off, as the Highways team has celebrated completing 18 years’ worth of work in just two and a half years.

 

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for Transport, Infrastructure and Regeneration has said: “The stats speak for themselves, the team – as always – work tirelessly to keep over 600 miles of road network in good condition. We are the gateway to the North, South, East and West of the country, and our roads really do take a hammering. Defects can include anything from potholes, resurfacing, raised ironworks and blocked gulleys which all affect road users.
“But we won’t stop here. We know there is still much to do to get our roads into good nick. Additionally, winter is fast approaching and our teams focus on road safety with gritting and repairing as much of the highway as they can.”

Moving forward the council will continue to inform residents on highways repairs under the DRIVE campaign. All repair work is categorised under reactive and proactive repairs. Reactive work is completed when defects are causing an immediate danger to road users, where a temporary fix will sometimes be used. Proactive work is assessed and completed with a permanent fix. This work includes resurfacing and preventative measures.

 

To learn more residents can visit www.stoke.gov.uk/drive.