Rural roads to be repaired in Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire County Council has released £3 million from its reserves to fund resurfacing of a number of minor roads.

Last week, county councillors unanimously agreed to add the £3m to £25m already earmarked for restoration work on the roads this year.

The £3m will pay for a 12-month programme of 'plane and patch' work to resurface badly worn sections of roads in around 300 locations, mainly unclassified rural routes, starting in September.

Leader Martin Tett said: “These unclassified roads wouldn't normally be covered by our resurfacing schemes, but they're nevertheless important for those who use them. This money should make a significant improvement, particularly in our most rural areas.”

This additional money supports Transport for Buckinghamshire’s (TfB) largest road treatment programme yet, which sees over 220 sites scheduled for attention over the forthcoming months.

During the next three months TfB will assess roads to include in the plane and patch programme, consult with councillors and submit the proposed programme to transport cabinet member Mark Shaw for decision.

Mark told councillors he was confident the 300 schemes could be delivered through TfB's asset management team. “This is a challenge we'll meet head on, and focus on getting good quality and good value for money,” he said.

Transport for Buckinghamshire is a public/private sector alliance run by Ringway Jacobs and Buckinghamshire County Council to deliver highways services within Buckinghamshire.