According to media reports the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is hitting the ground running. The Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) advises him to ensure that he avoids the potholes.
The Conservatives manifesto pledged an additional £2 billion over the next four years to repair the road network as part of a National Infrastructure Strategy calling it the ‘biggest ever pot-hole filling programme’. This has been warmly welcomed by the RSTA as a recognition that increased funding for the the local road network is essential if the decades of under-investment is to be addressed. The overall condition of local road network has deteriorated to such an extent that the latest ALARM Survey from the Asphalt Industry Alliance reports that one-in-five roads are in such a poor condition that they will need replacing within five years.
“Improving the local road network would be an immediate and real sign that the Government is investing in local communities and local economies”, said Mike Harper, RSTA Chief Executive. “The additional funding over the next 4 years would give highway authorities increased means to not only repair our roads but to develop and implement proactive programmes of maintenance that would stop the potholes from forming in the first place.”