Contact: Michael Rolfe, tel 01730 266411

1. Summary

1.1 This report outlines:

(i) Progress with the 2002/03 Highways Maintenance Programme.

(ii) Details of the 2003/04 Highways Maintenance budget.

(iii) Details of the 2003/04 Highways Maintenance Programme.

2. Background

2.1 Members will be aware from previous Panel meetings that the highways maintenance programme is funded from both revenue and capital allocations.

2.2 The revenue maintenance programme funds minor works, such as pothole repairs, routine drainage work including gully cleaning, signs and road markings, environmental maintenance of grass verges, trees and shrubs, weed control and highway emergencies. Minor bridge works and winter maintenance are also funded from revenue. Budget allocations are set at a level that ensures the safety of the highway network.

2.3 The capital maintenance programme funds planned maintenance, including special maintenance, resurfacing and surface dressing, and also provides for essential repairs to the structure of the highway.

3. Progress with the 2002/03 Highways Maintenance Programme

Revenue Maintenance Programme

3.1 The total allocation for East Hampshire for 2002/03 is £498,000. Progress throughout the year has been in line with the spend profile and it is expected that the programme will be completed within time and budget constraints. A budget monitoring statement is set out in Appendix 1.

Capital Maintenance Programme

3.2 The total allocation for 2002/03 is £1,458,000. The programme is nearing completion and, as with the revenue maintenance programme, it is expected to be delivered as planned within time and budget constraints. A budget monitoring statement is included in Appendix 1.

3.3 A status report detailing progress of all special maintenance, resurfacing, surface dressing and externally funded Government Office for the South East (GOSE) drainage schemes is attached as Appendix 2.

4. 2003/04 Highways Maintenance Budget

4.1 The highways maintenance budget for 2003/04 approved by the Executive Member for Environment is £46,492,000. This sum comprises £18,768,000 revenue funding and £27,724,000 funding from the capital programme provision.

4.2 The revenue budget allocation, which provides funding for routine and emergency maintenance, has been maintained at a similar level to 2002/03. This will ensure that the safety of the highway network is preserved .

4.3 The capital budget allocation has been increased substantially compared with 2002/03. Central Government funding achieved through the Local Transport Plan (LTP) process has increased and locally resourced capital funding has also been enhanced. It should be noted that maintenance funding allocated through the LTP process is directly related to the condition of Hampshire's road network and future levels of funding are dependent on Hampshire's ability to improve the overall condition of the network. This increased allocation for planned maintenance has provided the opportunity to target funding at the more vulnerable areas of the network, essentially urban footways and rural unclassified roads.

4.4 Urban footways have been targeted to maintain accessibility and improve standards in the heavily used areas, reducing the potential for claims. The rural unclassified road network was severely damaged as a result of the flooding in 2000/01 and requires a sustained, enhanced level of funding to recover. The additional funding will allow an increased number of Highways Assessment of Maintenance Priorities (HAMP) identified schemes to be undertaken and allow the opportunity to introduce some haunch recycling schemes. Recycling reuses the materials on site, is quicker than traditional methods of reconstruction and is economical.

4.5 Despite this additional funding the need, based on HAMP intervention levels, has risen this year. It is therefore envisaged that these increased levels of funding will need to be sustained to achieve the aims of the Government, to halt the deterioration of the network by 2004 and eliminate the backlog by 2010.

4.6 To reflect the condition of the footway network in Hampshire, user concerns and the deteriorating condition of the rural unclassified lanes, an additional £3.5 million of funding has been specifically allocated by the County Council to these areas of need for 2003/04. Of this funding, £2.5 million will be allocated to footway works and £1 million to maintenance of the rural unclassified network. This funding will help to reduce the maintenance backlog and is detailed in Appendix 3.

5. 2003/04 Highways Maintenance Programme

Revenue Maintenance Programme

5.1 The revenue maintenance programme funds three main areas of highway maintenance:

(i) reactionary minor repair works on the road and footway network;

(ii) minor traffic management improvements of signs and road markings; and

(iii) environmental aspects of highway maintenance, including grass cutting, weed treatment and tree and shrub maintenance.

5.2 The total allocation for East Hampshire for 2003/04 is £619,000. Details of the 2003/04 revenue budget are set out in Appendix 3.

5.3 Additional revenue budgets are held centrally for the performance elements of the County Council's term maintenance contract. The performance based work contained in the contract includes:

(i) gully emptying;

(ii) visibility splay grass cutting;

(iii) winter maintenance; and

(iv) ordinary bridge maintenance.

Capital Maintenance Programme

5.4 The funding allocation for the capital maintenance programme is based on the HAMP rating system and will reflect the agreed intervention levels. The HAMP rating intervention levels direct funding to those maintenance schemes displaying a higher `maintenance need'. Therefore, the funding allocation for the 2003/04 capital maintenance programme will differ from the 2002/03 allocation. The capital allocation is set out in Appendix 3.

5.5 Planned structural maintenance repairs undertaken through the capital maintenance programme include surface dressing, special maintenance and resurfacing schemes. A provisional list of planned maintenance schemes under each of these headings for 2003/04 is attached as Appendix 4 (all programmes are indicative and may be subject to amendment).

5.6 The capital maintenance programme also supports the centrally controlled areas of work, including major maintenance schemes and bridge maintenance.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

7757/MR

APPENDIX 1

HAMPSHIRE HIGHWAYS EAST HAMPSHIRE

APPENDIX 2

HAMPSHIRE HIGHWAYS EAST HAMPSHIRE

2002 - 2003 SPECIAL MAINTENANCE

RESURFACING AND SURFACE DRESSING PROGRAMME

SPECIAL MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME

RESURFACING PROGRAMME

CAPITAL SM PROGRAMME

CAPITAL RESURFACING PROGRAMME

GOSE FLOODING REMEDIAL FUNDS

SURFACE DRESSING MINOR ROADS - GROUP 3

SURFACE DRESSING HIGH PERFORMANCE

FOOTWAY SURFACE DRESSING

APPENDIX 3

APPENDIX 4

HAMPSHIRE HIGHWAYS EAST HAMPSHIRE

2003 - 2004 PROVISIONAL SPECIAL MAINTENANCE

RESURFACING AND SURFACE DRESSING PROGRAMME

SPECIAL MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME

NON PRINCIPAL ROADS - RESURFACING PROGRAMME

CAPITAL SM PROGRAMME

SURFACE DRESSING MINOR ROADS - GROUP 3

SURFACE DRESSING HIGH PERFORMANCE - GROUP 2

ADDITIONAL FOOTWAY SCHEMES*

ADDITIONAL HAUNCH/RECYCLE SCHEMES*

Hampshire highways east have secured an additional £560,000 for a haunch recycling programme for the rural unclassified network for the 2003/04 programme. This funding will be used to undertake schemes on the East Hampshire and Winchester rural road network.

At the time of the production of the report a programme of sites was being prepared. It is likely that the funding will be approximately split between Winchester and East Hampshire £224,000 and £336,000 respectively.