Crumbling council-run roads pose serious public health risk, infrastructure experts warn

Chronically underfunded and poorly coordinated maintenance is endangering users of the UK’s local highway network, senior infrastructure professionals have warned.

Panellists at the ICE’s Summer Prestige Debate called for urgent reforms to how council-run roads and their associated infrastructure (e.g. bridges, footways, lighting etc) are paid for and managed.

The discussion highlighted that local highways, which make up 92% of the country’s 282,000km road network, lack technical standards and oversight from regulators.

It also considered the idea of standardising how the condition of assets (such as roads or bridges) is reported. Advocates included Helen Rowe, chair of the national bridges group at the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport.

The continuing lack of comparable information about their state of repair is problematic, according to Rowe. Many councils lack the resources to keep accurate databases, often still relying on paper-based systems.

“We need to be able to compare the conditions of structures in different parts of the country and determine where the need is greatest,” she told the audience.

Skimping on skills

A shortage of qualified professionals on councils’ engineering teams is only adding to the concerns.

In April, a Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures (CROSS-UK) safety report revealed that one authority had hired “someone without a structural or civil engineering degree, equivalent experience or any prior involvement with structures… to undertake structural principal and general inspections”.

CROSS-UK’s expert panel noted that this was a “very worrying report” of a situation from which “there is unlikely to be a good outcome”.

It added: “The competency of any post-holder is… more critical than ever, not just for buildings post-Grenfell, but for every safety-critical structure.”

A deeper problem than potholes

The government allocated £1.6bn to pothole repairs in England this year, yet the Asphalt Industry Alliance recently estimated that £16.8bn would be needed just to restore road surfaces in England and Wales to a serviceable state (i.e. clear the backlog of urgent repair work).

Panellists observed that the pothole problem is only the most visible symptom of an extensive crisis that demands a quick and coordinated response.

Rowe stressed the importance of distributing limited funds more wisely.

“It’s essential”, she said, “to adopt a risk-based approach to investment nationally so that needs can be prioritised.”