BUCKINGHAMSHIRE: £210 million needed to help bucks roads

Drivers across Buckinghamshire are grappling with deteriorating road surfaces after it emerged it could cost around £210 million to bring the county’s roads up to the best possible condition.

The figure, which Buckinghamshire Council says is broadly accurate, reflects the estimated cost of completing all viable improvement schemes across its network of more than 2,000 miles of roads.

Cllr Jonathan Waters, the deputy leader of the Lib Dem group on the authority and member for Penn, Tylers Green and Loudwater, warned the current rate of repairs risks storing up bigger problems for the future.

He said: “With only 3.3 per cent of our roads resurfaced each year, we are looking at a scenario where many roads will need to last 30 years or more before renewal– far exceeding their lifespan.

“To see real improvement in our road conditions, we must increase our efforts in resurfacing and preventative maintenance now. This is vital to protect our infrastructure and minimise expensive repairs in the future.”

Motorists across the county have complained about worsening road surfaces, with potholes often becoming worse after periods of heavy rain and cold weather which damage road surfaces.

Cllr Susan Morgan, leader of the Liberal Democrats on the council, said residents were increasingly frustrated.

“Our families are being forced to navigate increasingly cratered surfaces daily, putting lives at risk and causing costly damage,” she said. “This isn’t just a minor inconvenience. What we’ve learnt from sources represents a monumental failure of infrastructure management, coming on top of the DFT’s amber warning.”

Cllr Trevor Snaith the independent member for Marsh and Micklefield, said the state of the roads were terrible.

He said: “The state of the roads is absolutely terrible. The fact of the matter is that no matter what they do or what they spend, they are never going to get on top of the problem.

“There are more potholes than there is ever going to be money to fix them.”

Cllr Anja Schaeffer added: “The state of our roads is getting dangerous. Every time they go anywhere, residents risk damage to their cars and, if they are on two-wheels, their lives.”

However, the Conservative-led council insists it is already investing heavily in improving the county’s highways.

Thomas Broom, Buckinghamshire Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transport, said the authority had recently approved a £120 million roads programme.

“Despite government cutting £44.5 million of funding from Buckinghamshire, we continue to invest significantly in our road network,” he said.

He stressed the £210 million figure does not represent a new repair bill, but the estimated cost of carrying out all potential improvement schemes across the entire network.

“The potential works figure reflects the total cost of all viable improvement schemes across the whole highway network and is broadly in line with previous years in real terms,” he said.

Mr Broom added that Buckinghamshire plans 220 resurfacing schemes this year, rising to 270 from April, as part of efforts to improve road conditions and prevent potholes forming in the long term.

Officials say backlog estimates of this kind are common across the country, as many councils face similar challenges maintaining road networks.

He added: “Over the past four years we have delivered one of the highest sustained levels of highways investment in the history of the county, and this is steadily improving the condition of our roads.

“We are focussing particularly on capital works to resurface our roads, which is how we prevent potholes forming in the long run.”