The aptly-titled ALARM survey, published every April, rarely makes for happy reading. Commissioned by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), the survey (the acronym stands for Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance) invariably reveals a backlog of repair work. But what stands out most from this year鈥檚 is that instead of gradually working through this backlog, local authorities are falling further behind.
The total cost of bringing the country鈥檚 roads back into a reasonable state is estimated at 拢12bn 鈥� up 拢1.5bn on 2013. Little wonder the UK鈥檚 roads network is described as 鈥渘ot fit for a modern economy鈥� by Civil Engineering Contractors Association chief executive Alasdair Reisner. But what, realistically, is likely to change at a policy level to address this?
鈥淭here has been massive underinvestment at local government level, and big pressure for five years for contractors to do more for less,鈥� says Reisner.
鈥淎 big problem is that the funding is not ring-fenced. We find that roads funding too often gets diverted to social issues. So we end up with a 鈥榤ake do and mend鈥� approach.鈥�
This was also identified by a National Audit Office report on maintaining roads, published on June 6th. 鈥淪top/start funding makes long-term planning more difficult for highways authorities,鈥� said Amyas Morse, head of the NAO. It also noted that ring-fencing of funding for the Highways Agency鈥檚 replacement (a new Government- Owned Company, or 'GoCo') would not address the problems faced on local roads, which make up 98% of the network. CECA and other industry trade bodies are pushing for longer-term settlements for highways maintenance funding.
鈥淲e need consistency of funding,鈥� says Geoff Allister, executive director of the Highways Term Maintenance Association. 鈥淏usinesses need to plan for a 10-year period going forward; big investment decisions - plant, materials 鈥� require a degree of certainty.鈥�
Some forward-thinking councils have tackled the issue by financing a one-off hit to clear their backlog completely 鈥� which apart from better roads, also saves on the absurdity of insurance claims from injured motorists and pedestrians (a 拢30m annual cost). The maintenance industry would like to see others follow suit.
鈥淎 one-off up-front investment would take billions out of day-to-day maintenance - so you 鈥榠nvest to save鈥�,鈥� says Reisner. 鈥淏lackpool has used prudential borrowing to fund this, and other councils have used PFI. The quality of carriageway in these areas is very good, and they are very popular locally.鈥�
Blackpool Council is in the final year of a four-year programme to replace 40 miles of its busiest roads, and a spokesman says the 鈥渧ast majority of locals鈥� are happy with what鈥檚 being delivered.
AIA chairman Alan Mackenzie also believes the Blackpool approach works 鈥渆xtremely well鈥�.
PFI is less in favour these days, partly due to the cost, though Mackenzie observes that 鈥渁s a longer term model, it offers the opportunity to exercise best practice鈥�.
He adds: 鈥淟ocal authorities need support to allow them to borrow more in order to put longer term plans into place.鈥�
But a concern at local government level is the lack of expertise in the sector 鈥� a consequence of the swingeing cuts post-2010.
鈥淭here are undoubtedly some skills gaps,鈥� says Mackenzie. 鈥淪ome skills and experience have been lost as a result of cuts made to personnel, recruitment, training and apprentice schemes during the recession.鈥�
One highways maintenance business says 鈥渁 tremendous problem for us is the lack of informed clients. The major groups like the West Midlands Alliance know what they鈥檙e doing 鈥� but others haven鈥檛 got a clue.鈥�
The industry has tried to work with councils to develop their highways strategies.
鈥淐ollaborative working is very important,鈥� says Allister. 鈥淐ontractors work with local authorities to look at what鈥檚 feasible when they have downward pressure on their budgets, to ensure they use the money they鈥檝e got well.鈥�
Mackenzie stresses the need for longer-term planning. 鈥淧lanned preventative maintenance, for instance, is at least 20 times more cost effective than filling potholes,鈥� he says.
鈥淎lso, having an effective asset management plan allows councils to demonstrate the need, to councillors and the Department for Transport, and create a plan to effectively deal with the backlog.鈥� The DFT, to be fair, appreciates the lack of long-term planning in highways maintenance. It is currently consulting on suggested mechanisms for distribution of funding for local highways maintenance for the period 2015/16 to 2020/21. It reports back in the autumn.
The department has also sponsored 鈥� to the tune of 拢6m 鈥� the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme to drive and share innovation and efficiency improvements across the sector. One of these innovations may be the increased use of BIM for asset management of highways which Skanska, among other contractors, is already using. 鈥淲e held a highways maintenance forum for clients earlier this year and showed how BIM is used in building projects - and can also be used in other asset/life cycle management,鈥� explains infrastructure services managing director Gregor Craig.
However, a barrier to the adoption of innovative thinking may be the reluctance of local authorities to take risks. And this is likely to be exacerbated by the hollowing-out of skills in council road maintenance departments during the past four years.
鈥淚nnovation carries a risk,鈥� says Allister, 鈥渟o councils can be reluctant, which is very sensible. But trials of new products and methods do happen, and there are controlled procedures to allow these trials to take place in the proper environment.鈥� But there is only so much innovation the industry can introduce to stop the backlog getting longer. Ultimately, there is a need for a short-term funding solution 鈥� which inevitably means a political solution.
鈥淩oads maintenance is a very big issue at a local level, but is less so at national level,鈥� observes Reisner.
Blackpool has been championed by many in the industry as the model for other councils to follow. According to a council spokesman, the main tipping points for their new approach were 鈥渂ad winters, insurance claims, and the general poor state of the roads鈥�. But another source says that it was political pressure that heralded the changes, and more specifically, the council election of 2011, which brought in a Labour majority.
If the UK is to get 鈥渁 road network fit for a modern economy鈥�, it may be that a political solution will be required.
This article first appeared in the July 2014 issue of 海角社区app magazine, which can be viewed in full at:
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