January 2022
Working to ensure lasting highway improvements
The Highways PFI, which started in April 2013, is designed to improve the Island’s road network over a period of 25 years.
Before the start of the PFI, the Island’s roads were among the worst in the country with many deteriorating and with 22% having weight or width restrictions imposed or at risk of closure. Now a significant number have already been categorised by the Department for Transport as among the best in the country.
Great progress has been made and continues to be made, but highway maintenance is an ongoing activity, and we need to ensure that all sections of the network, including those resurfaced since 2013, still meet the required condition standards.
To this end we have recently been working with the Isle of Wight Council to identify sections where the surfacing has not worked as effectively or lasted as long as expected. A schedule of work has been drawn up to tackle these areas.
Why do some sections of the roads need further repairs?
Failures in the road structure do occur on occasions and can happen as a result of a number of issues including:
▪ Geological (ground) movement - historically, sections of the highway have been prone to ground movement because of the Island’s geology and this can cause the resurfacing work to fail earlier than anticipated.
▪ Prolonged periods of extreme weather (eg heavy rain/heat) – the Island has experienced some prolonged periods of extreme weather which increases the natural wear and tear on the network
▪ Underground leaks (eg from utility equipment, see image left) - the failure of utility equipment underneath the highway can cause water to leak beneath the road surface causing the resurfacing to crack or break up. This can also occur when services have been poorly installed, or they are very shallow.
▪ Human error can also be a factor (e.g. either in the incorrect application of materials, or the wrong choice of treatment).
What will happen under the 2022 programme of road improvements?
Under this programme, Island Roads will carry out a programme of targeted remedial work. In each case, we will apply an appropriate treatment that will ensure the network continues to meet the condition standards required by the PFI contract.
This work will be carried out at Island Roads’ cost; in other words, at no cost to the council taxpayer.
Island Roads shares the frustrations of residents when schemes fail earlier than expected. We are responsible for the maintenance of the highway for 17 more years, so it is also in our interests to ensure roads meet the required condition standards and that our treatments last.
How have work areas been identified?
We have conducted comprehensive surveys of the resurfacing or reconstruction work carried out. The purpose was to identify sections of the highway surface that have failed earlier than would normally be expected and to look at the reasons for that failure so the appropriate form of remedial treatment can be determined.
As a result of these inspections, a programme of work has been agreed by Island Roads and the council to address work that no longer meets the condition standards required.
The issues identified affect less than one percent of the total area of the Island’s treated highway network which is well within comparable industry norms.
What is the nature of the remedial work required?
A range of remedial work will be required depending on the site in question.
In most cases, the remedial work will involve crack sealing and ‘spot repairs’ - applying small areas of new resurfacing which can be undertaken with little disruption.
However, there are a number of sections that will require a degree of excavation and reconstruction to ensure the road has stronger foundations.
Some of the work will require materials to be hand-laid, others will involve machinery to complete the work. The work will also often only be too small panels/sections of the road where it has been affected, rather than the entire length and some roads may require a number of separate visits to complete the treatment in full.
When will the work be undertaken?
The work will start on the 24th of January and will be progressed over the coming year and will be carried out during the day and under traffic lights, where possible, to help maintain local traffic flows. In a number of cases though, where road excavation and reconstruction are required, a 24-hour road closure is likely to be necessary to enable the work to take place.
We will notify residents and the local community in advance of any of the more significant aspects of this work e.g. where a road closure is required due to deeper excavations.
Details of these and other works are featured in our weekly works programme which can be found on the current works menu tab on our website https://islandroads.com/current-works/ This information is also shared directly with IWC councillors and town and parish councils. Information about daily works are provided each day on our Twitter account @IslandRoads
Please note: work programme dates and locations are indicative only as these can be affected by a variety of factors including the weather.
You can visit our website for more details about any of our services www.islandroads.com
No comments:
Post a Comment