£10m programme to repair Bolton’s pothole-riddled roads

SAIQA CHAUDHARI reports

A £10 MILLION programme to repair the borough’s roads has been revealed today.

A report today revealed the council’s new plan to fix potholed riddled roads.

Much needed improvements to combat continued deterioration of residential roads would be paid for by a £7m loan funded by dividends from shares in Manchester Airport, together with £3m income received from capital receipts from the sale of council buildings.

Bolton Council’s Cabinet will be asked next Monday to approve putting together a programme of work, and authorise borrowing a low-interest rate £7m loan.

Subject to approval, each ward could receive an equal share of the pot ­— £500,000K ­— and councillors will work with highways officers to come up with a programme of work defined by engineering priority.

Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr David Greenhalgh, said: “We made a commitment to invest an additional £10m into our roads and that is why we want to create a new fund.

“Time and time again we hear that roads in our residential areas need urgent attention.

“We know that £10m will not fix everything but it will go some way to helping all of our communities across the town.”

Deputy Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Martyn Cox, added: “The state of our roads is an issue that affects everyone in our town as well as anyone who visits.

“It is an issue that is brought up regularly and we want local councillors to work with officers to ensure best value for money.

“The whole borough will benefit from this investment.”

The £10 million is an addition to the core capital funding given to the council by the department for transport and and administered by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which is expected be around the £3.1 million for 2019/20.

The funding will be used to “carry out priority” scheme in all ward areas on local residential roads and footways.

The list will be drawn up by mid-August, if the programme is approved, with the work starting just weeks after.

The report, entitled “Additional Highway Investment (£10m) 2019 states: “Having a well maintained and efficient highway network helps to encourage inward investment, aid the transport of people and goods within, across and beyond the borough, while an attractive highway network can assist in improving the environment for local communities and improve the quality of life."

It comes as a parliamentary report is published today stating that poor roads are not only a headache for everyone but also a severe risk for many. And adds that a "deteriorating local road network undermines local economic performance".

The town’s potholes, are said to be as deep as more than 20 double decker buses.

According to figures released earlier this year 2,119 potholes were reported in Bolton last year. The data, published by insurance comparison website Confused.com, reveal that when added up the total cumulative depth of Bolton’s potholes was a staggering 85 metres ­— the equivalent of 21 double decker buses stood one on top of the other.

Last year the council spent more than £137,000 on repairing potholes on the town’s streets, with a total of 2,016 filled in. But even so, damage to vehicles caused by potholes still resulted in the council shelling out £11,438 in compensation to motorists.

Councillors say the benefits of the investment ­— described as one of the “biggest cash injections” for a generation ­—cannot be underestimated ­— both in terms of road users and in economic terms.

Cllr Cox said: “One of the biggest complaints the council receives is about the roads.

“This programme is to address the perennial issue of the poor state of roads in the Bolton borough.

“We made a commitment at the start that this was our number one priority.

“Ward councillors will work with engineers to draw up a list of roads in the worst condition. This should be agreed by August 13 with significant work starting in September.”

He added that improvements to the town’s infrastructure went “hand-in-hand” with the investments being planned for the borough.

“The money is an investment in all of the borough’s town centres, good infrastructure helps to stimulate the economy, which fits in with all town centres in Bolton.”

Cllr Cox said: “Investment in the borough’s infrastructure is something we thought was a relatively straightforward thing we could do with the growing dividend from Manchester Airport.”

The work funded by the £10 million will be in addition to the highway programmes that are already approved.

Cllr Sean Hornby said: “This is most amount of money my ward has received in nine years. We will be looking at the roads most in need of investment but also traffic calming measures."”

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