Release date: 10/03/2010

By: Wendy Phillips
Telephone 020 8871 8902 or email wphillips@wandsworth.gov.uk

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£2m pothole blitz

 The council has pledged an additional £2m for road repairs, and has launched a major ward-by-ward pothole repair programme.

The repair programme started on February 22 and is likely to take several months. Engineers will move systematically around the borough.

The council’s technical services department has had to wait until there was little chance of a further cold snap because more holes will continue to form for weeks after very cold weather. They needed to assess the full extent of the damage before launching an extensive repair programme.

If the works began too early crews would have to return to the same roads as more potholes form – causing unnecessary disruption and increasing the cost to local taxpayers.

This year saw the coldest winter in 30 years. Cold weather causes potholes because water freezes within cracks in the road – expanding and forcing the tarmac to break apart. Much of the damage is done below the surface and it can be some time before the road fractures and caves in.

After the cold spell in February 2009, the council spent a million pounds repairing 8,000 potholes. The damage is likely to be much worse this year.

Some of the repair work will consist of simply filling in a hole. However, where there are several holes close together, whole sections of road will be resurfaced. Around 22,500 square metres of road come under this category. If a road is nearing the end of its useful life anyway, the entire surface will be replaced. This will then have a life expectancy of at least ten years.

Deputy leader of the council Maurice Heaster said:

“Over the coming months we will systematically repair every pothole, even if it means resurfacing entire roads. This £2m is in addition to the money already set aside for carriageway repairs and resurfacing.

“We have had to wait to carry out this work because it would have been a waste of taxpayers’ money to repair a hole only for it to reappear following another cold snap. But now that the worst of the winter weather appears to be behind us, this work can begin in earnest.”

As well as working ward-by-ward, engineers will also respond to reports of hazardous potholes anywhere in the borough.

To report a pothole to the council call (020) 8871 6708 or email dtsonstreetservices@wandsworth.gov.uk

Please include the nearest house number or business premises to help identify the exact location.

The borough’s main trunk roads (red routes) are managed and maintained by Transport for London (TfL) – these include the A3, A24, A205, A214, A306, A3205 and A3220.

To report a pothole on a TfL road visit
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/roadusers


ENDS

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Your comments

The most recent comments made about this article.

Danebury Avenue, Roehampton, is becoming increasingly dangerous (and almost impassable in one place) to bicycles and P2W as the number, depth and width of potholes increases. The stupid and dangerous-even-when-new road ‘cushions’ are proving especially threatening around their edges.

Rob M - Putney

I believe that the work Wandsworth Council is embarking on for the repair of the roads in the Borough is good, however while one understands that a systematic process has to be adopted, is it not a good idea to have a "roving patrol" that can give immediate repairs. In this case immediate repairs can be completed to avoid the area of road getting even worse. May be not a permanent fix but at least the area of road does not get worse. A number of potholes on Tantallon Road and Endlesham Road started small and in a matter of weeks have expanded dramatically. Just an idea, the Wandsworth Rapid Reaction Force. WRRF for the quick repair of pot holes!
DH - Wandsworth

the roads in wandsworth are particularly bad at the moment and i don't think i can recall it being this bad. some roads in the wandsworth common area are now only suitable for 4x4 as they are a hazard to be driven by standard cards. the roads in the borough need to be sorted as a priority. the top of earlsfield road seems to have a constant pothole crater for the last six month.
Tom - Earlsfield

does this repair work cover Danebury Avenue, I've always been led ot believe that this road is the responsibility of TFL--this road is badly in need of repair, down by the 2nd to last bus stops
aldgate - Wandsworth