Archived decisions

Contact: Tim Lawton, tel 02380 427000 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report outlines progress with regard to the 2005/06 Highway Maintenance and Minor Capital Works Programmes and gives an update on the 2005/06 Highway Maintenance budget.

2. Background

2.1 As previously reported, the Highway 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 allocations. Budgets are set at a level that ensures the safety and serviceability 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, eg programmed patching.

3. Highway Maintenance Budget and Programme 2005/06

3.1 The county-wide Highway Maintenance Budget for 2005/06, approved by the Executive Member for Environment, is £49.418 million. This sum comprises £22.090 million revenue funding and £27.328 million funding from the capital programme. The capital funding provision includes an additional £3.678 million of capital funding specifically for highway maintenance works, the emphasis being on the maintenance of minor rural carriageways and urban footways. These budgets are spread across the 11 districts for local service delivery and also used to fund centrally managed programmes such as surface dressing, winter maintenance and performance elements of the highways Term Maintenance Contract.

Revenue Maintenance Budget and Programme

3.2 The total revised allocation for the New Forest for 2005/06 is £1,076,000. 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 included within Appendix 1.

Capital Maintenance Budget and Programme

3.3 The total allocation for the New Forest for 2005/06 is £1,888,000, which includes £420,000 from the extra £3.678 million county-wide funding. The funding allocation for the capital maintenance `planned works' programme is based on the proven Highways Assessment of Maintenance Priorities (HAMP) rating system and has reflected the agreed intervention levels. The HAMP rating intervention level directs funding to those maintenance schemes displaying a higher maintenance need. Planned maintenance repairs undertaken through the capital maintenance programme include surface dressing, special maintenance and resurfacing schemes.

3.4 This year's schemes are progressing well with the expectation that the `planned' maintenance programme will be delivered within time and budget constraints. The largest scheme on this year's programme is the refurbishment of the slabbed footways in Station Road, New Milton. This scheme is progressing well and has so far received much positive feedback from residents. A £195,000 grant has been obtained from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to refurbish other elements of the Station Road streetscape at the same time. The project group comprising officers from the County, District and Town Councils, as well as representatives from the local business community, meets regularly to ensure that scheme achieves its desired short and long term objectives, which are to address the maintenance priority of the uneven footway surfaces and also to improve the general streetscene. Progress on the remainder of this year's schemes is shown in Appendix 2.

3.5 Surface dressing is an extremely cost-effective way of prolonging the life of the carriageway, sealing any existing cracks and restoring skid resistance. The total county-wide programme for 2005/06 is £3.22 million (including approximately £125,000 safety engineering related surface dressing), which is managed centrally. All sites on this year's carriageway programme for the New Forest area have now been successfully treated. This year's schemes are listed in Appendix 2.

A35 Holmsley Major Maintenance

3.6 A major maintenance scheme is being planned for the A35 to strengthen and repair approximately three miles of carriageway between Markway Enclosure and Lyndhurst Road (about six miles west of Lyndhurst). The works will include maintenance and upgrading of the existing highway

drainage network. The works are planned to start in September/October 2005 with a contract period of four months. The construction costs are estimated to be £800,000.

3.7 Traffic management and minimising delay and inconvenience to the public is an important aspect of the planning process. It is expected that a significant proportion of the works will be carried out using portable traffic signals with alternate one-way traffic flows. However, certain operations, such as the final surfacing, will require road closures to ensure the safety of operatives and road users. It is proposed that the A337 (via Lymington) will be used as the diversion route during the closure times. The road closure is expected to be up to 15 days duration.

3.8 All stakeholders including Parish Councils, New Forest District Council, Court of Verderers, Commoners' Defence Association and business associations have been consulted. It is intended that press releases shall be issued to provide further details of the works programme and traffic management arrangements.

3.9 A comprehensive ecological survey has been carried out with the involvement of English Nature and all measures necessary will be taken to ensure that the biodiversity of the site is maintained.

4. Minor Capital Works

4.1 The Minor Capital Works Programme is funded from the capital allocation based on the Local Transport Plan submission to the Department for Transport. In the 2005/06 programme £200,000 was allocated county-wide, of which £18,000 was allocated for the New Forest area. The schemes included in this year's programme are:

(i) A337 Balmer Lawn, Brockenhurst - provision of new footpath. Allocation £14,000. Scheme design in progress, expected to be on site during third quarter.

(ii) A337 Lyndhurst Road, Lyndhurst - provision of new pedestrian refuge. Allocation £4,000. Scheme design in progress, expected to be on site during fourth quarter.

4.2 These schemes are scheduled to be completed by the end of the financial year.

5. The New Forest National Park and Highway Management

5.1 The highway network plays an important role in the New Forest National Park and managing it well is vital to the success of the Park and surrounding environment.

5.2 The roads, footways and cycle-tracks of the New Forest that are maintained at public expense have always been managed in a distinctive way to ensure that, as well as fulfilling the transport needs of the area, they also fit into the natural environment that has outstanding Special Areas of Conservation. Increasing traffic growth and demands on the transport infrastructure highlight the challenges that face the County Council in balancing the transport needs and conserving the natural environment within the Park.

5.3 In recognition of the special circumstances within the New Forest, in 2000 the County Council agreed a management statement with English Nature that set out a maintenance management strategy for the highway network. The intention of the management strategy is to help preserve the natural environment as well as reflect the obligations of the County Council as Highway Authority in its need to keep the network serviceable and safe for users. Consultation with English Nature and other interested bodies associated with any highway works proposed in the New Forest is a key commitment in the statement.

5.4 The County Council launched its Biodiversity Strategy in July 2005 and the management of grass verges in the New Forest area is an important aspect of this work.

5.5 The management strategy and consultation arrangements have worked well. However, with the creation of the new National Park Authority there is a need to refresh the arrangements and engage with the new National Park Authority and all interested groups on the highway issues that are of common interest.

6. Impact Assessment

6.1 This report provides a position statement only, therefore an impact assessment, in terms of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, has not been undertaken.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

492/TL

APPENDIX 1

HAMPSHIRE HIGHWAYS WEST (NEW FOREST)