Contact: Steve Pellatt, tel (01256) 764444 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 £51.254 million. This sum comprises £22.090 million revenue funding and £29.164 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 improving the surface of carriageways and footways. These budgets are spread across the 11 districts for local service delivery and 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 Hart for 2005/06 is £374,500. This has been enhanced from the initial allocation due to allowances for inflation and a release of reserves. 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 as Appendix 1. It should be noted that orders for some activities (eg routine maintenance gangs) have been raised in advance to cover the whole financial year.

Capital Maintenance Budget and Programme

3.3 The total allocation for Hart for 2005/06 is £1,782,000, which includes £326,000 from the £3.678 million county-wide additional funding previously reported. Additionally, this includes £49,000 for the replacement of sub-standard safety fencing on principal roads. 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. Significant schemes undertaken so far include the reconstruction of the A327: The Street, Eversley. Progress on all 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 allocation for 2005/06 is £3,220,000 (including approximately £125,000 safety engineering related surface dressing), which is managed centrally. All carriageway sites on this years programme for the Hart area have now been successfully treated and footway sites are programmed to be undertaken during October. Progress on this year's schemes is shown in Appendix 2.

4. Minor Capital Works

4.1 The Minor Capital Works Programme (previously known as the Under £10,000 Programme) is funded from the capital allocation based on the Local Transport Plan submission to the Department for Transport. In 2005/06 £200,000 was allocated county-wide, of which £16,500 was allocated for the Hart area. The schemes included in the programme are:

(i) Brooks Hill, Crondall Road, Crondall £9,500

Provision of new footway

Scheme designed and under consultation with local residents

(ii) Darby Green Road, Darby Green £7,000

Widening of footway

Scheme designed and let for construction in school holidays

Total £16,500

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

5. Impact Assessments

5.1 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.

555/SP