Did road need to be resurfaced?

If this is in fact the case, what a complete waste of money, not to mention the inconvenience closing a busy stretch of road will be causing.

It’s entirely possible there is a good reason for this work, but if it’s just ‘scheduled to be done now’, regardless of its condition, then there are serious questions to be asked.

watty@cwgsy.net

Editor’s note: Phil Ogier, manager – Roads & Traffic Management, responds:

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your reader’s letter highlighting their concerns.

Traffic and Highway Services spends a significant amount of time and effort prioritising the works that will form part of the road resurfacing programme to ensure that our contractors are working where we most need to maintain and improve the highway.

The roads are independently video surveyed approximately once every three years with the results used to prioritise resurfacing to maintain our road infrastructure in a reasonable condition.

In addition, a member of our team also walks significant parts of the network to identify defects that do not necessarily show in the video survey.

This information, together with utility programmes and sites earmarked for development all influence which roads are resurfaced or subject to major patching works.

There are a variety of reasons as to why a road might need resurfacing. In the case of Les Clotures Road, the surface is more than 20 years old and is experiencing widespread fretting.

This is where there is a significant loss of the surface material and if untreated, will lead to more significant and costly defects. Traffic and Highway Services shares your reader’s concern in ensuring the correct prioritisation of work and value for money for the taxpayer.