The county council has introduced a number of improved maintenance techniques to tackle pothole problems, leading to a reduction in the number of potholes from 7,276 in 2012/13 to 5,471 over the last year.
Improvements introduced by the council include:
- A shift from reactive to proactive maintenance, including tackling cracked patches of road, before they become potholes
- Better reactive maintenance, such as sealing of joints around potholes
- More patching in the spring and summer
- A 60% increase in the amount of surface-dressing
- Use of new technology, such as hotboxes, which ensure asphalt is available every day.
The average time to tackle the most serious, category one potholes on main roads has also reduced from 7.5 days to 3.1 days.
A council spokesman said: “Thanks to a series of improvements, fewer potholes are forming on the county’s roads and we’re dealing with them more quickly.
“While we can never prevent all potholes from forming, we’re determined to tackle them more effectively.”
