A recent report published by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) has revealed the state of the UK’s roads. Their findings revealed that it will take an average of 11 years to fill in all the potholes across England and Wales, at a cost of £14 billion.
In his spring budget, Jeremy Hunt, promised an extra £200 million to help councils deal with the issue. However, this barely touches the surface if necessary resources needed to improve roads.
The cost to fill in potholes this year has already reached the total spent in both 2018 and 2019. To date, £93.7 million has been paid out for 1.4 million repairs, but keeping up is a challenge.
The report found that a fifth of roads will not be structurally sound in as little as five years. With one in six roads currently close to becoming too dangerous for motorists. This adds up to approximately 18,100 miles of roads in poor condition.
As a result, compensation claims are up across England and Wales, with 72% of claims due to potholes. Bringing the total spend on claims and costs up 14% from last year.
Besides cost, labour and the time it takes to repair damaged roads are adding to the burden of an impending crisis. But there may be a solution.
The JCB Pothole Pro has filled seven year’s worth of holes in twelve months.
In 2021, Stoke-on-Trent council trialled the JCB Pothole Pro, a 13-tonne, £200,000 mobile machine.
Traditional methods to fill potholes can take anywhere from up to half a day. However, the Pothole Pro can cut the road surface, crop edges, and clean the site within eight minutes.
Feedback from the Council has been positive, with seven year’s worth of damaged roads repaired in 12 months, including a record 80 potholes filled in one day. Costs have also been cut by 50%.
Since the trail, over half the councils in Britain have shown an interest in the machine.
Tradesman Talk
Do you think the Pothole Pro will help improve the UK’s road network?
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Until next time, make sure it’s Tradesman Saver.
