Local authorities in England and Wales face a record £18.6bn backlog of road repairs despite increases to funding last year.
The annual ALARM study, published by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), shows that only half (51%) of the local road network is reported to be in good structural condition, with 15 years or more life remaining, up 3% from last year. Almost one in six local roads – equivalent to over 32,500 miles – are reported to have less than five years’ structural life remaining.
When the Labour government came to power it pledged to repair an additional one million potholes across England in each year of the parliament. It also promised an extra £1.6bn investment to be distributed to local councils to help them cope with the high costs of backlogs.
But the AIA said that although the additional investment had led to a 17% increase in average highway maintenance budgets in England and Wales, only a marginal increase in actual conditions experienced by drivers have been reported...