The Government today announced millions of pounds more for road repairs in Northamptonshire on the day the county was hit by the first snowfall of 2013.
Northamptonshire County Council, which oversees highways maintenance, will receive an additional £3.7m over the next two years in addition to the current annual budget of £16m which the authority spends on preventative road repairs across 2,500 miles of roads.
According to County Hall, the heavy rainfall at the end of last year has caused considerable damage to the roads and, combined with the current severe winter weather, it will bring further deterioration.
Councillor Andre Gonzalez De Savage, county council cabinet member for infrastructure and public protection, said: “We very much welcome this extra money from the Government which is part of a nationwide investment with the aim of helping councils to fund the repair and maintenance of roads which are experiencing increased deterioration due to successive severe winters and the recent heavy rainfall.
“We will use this extra money to continue with our good work of preventative repairs which extends the life of roads and therefore reduce the need for future full structural reconstruction works which can cost up to 10 times more.
“In this way the county council is able to improve value for money and treat more of the road network.”
The Government has made £2,457m available in 2013/14 with a further £1,315m on offer for the financial year 2014/15.
Fluctuations in temperature during very cold conditions can break up the road surface as water expands when it turns to ice. But milder weather brings no respite as surface water can also damage highways because vehicle tyres compress water to such an extent, the increased pressure breaks up the carriageway.
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