30/4/2008

News

Road repairs given council go-ahead

£50m is set to be spent on road repairs across the county over the next 12 months

ROAD repair plans across Surrey were given the green light on Wednesday, despite some councillors saying there was a "gross imbalance" from area to area.

The county council is set to spend more than £50m over the next 12 months, in what it called the largest transport improvement programme ever carried out in Surrey.

The highways work includes repairing surfaces, signs and bridges, alongside safety and drainage projects.

The overall plans also involve improvements to bus and train services.

Most of the prioritised roads for surface repairs are in the Mole Valley and Tandridge areas, while major maintenance schemes are centred on Guildford, Waverley and Reigate & Banstead.

The allocation of "surface treatment programmes" for 2008-2010 is as follows:

• Mole Valley - 55
• Tandridge - 50
• Guildford - 38
• Waverley - 36
• Reigate and Banstead - 29
• Runnymede - 27
• Elmbridge - 25
• Spelthorne - 14
• Surrey Heath - 9
• Woking - 9
• Epsom and Ewell - 8

Roads under the county council's "major maintenace programme" are in:

• Guildford - 16
• Reigate and Banstead - 15
• Waverley - 12
• Elmbridge - 6
• Mole Valley - 6
• Epsom and Ewell - 5
• Tandridge - 5
• Runnymede - 3
• Spelthorne - 3
• Surrey Heath - 2
• Woking - 2

Click here for a full list of the schemes

The decisions of the council’s Executive were scrutinised and approved by the transportation select committee on Wednesday, with five members voting in favour of the plans and three against.

The objectors had called in the proposals, claiming that "the prioritisation system... has led to a gross imbalance of work being programmed across the county".

But Councillor David Munro said other areas in need of road repairs could be considered in the future.

“This is a two-year programme, but it has not been set in stone,” he said.

“There is always room for adjustment as roads deteriorate and traffic congestion increases.

“To residents who feel there are some roads which should have been included in the programme, I would say don’t give up, we still want to hear from you.”

The programme of road repairs is set to begin in May and continue into 2009.

First printed in: Surrey Advertiser Online

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