Thousands of potholes have been filled and approximately 173,000 square metres of roads resurfaced, equivalent to the area covered by 24 football pitches, across Bath and North East Somerset this year.

Despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Highways team have completed their road resurfacing programme on time and on budget.

Working in partnership with its contractor, VolkerHighways, the Council has replaced more than 32 kilometres of worn out carriageway with thirty-five road resurfacing schemes completed, including Queen Square in Bath, Charlton Road in Keynsham and Eastfield Avenue in Weston.

Ahead of the work, safety inspections were carried out and roads in the worst condition were prioritised and repaired first. In total, over the past seven months, 2,794 potholes have been filled; 5,114 planned highway safety inspections have been carried out; 1,805 reactive inspections have been completed; 8,690 highway gullies have been cleaned; 1,330 street lighting faults have been repaired.

Councillor Joanna Wright, joint cabinet member for Transport Services, said: “Road safety is a key priority and maintaining our highway network to a good standard is essential, particularly during a pandemic, when it is more crucial than ever to ensure safe conditions for emergency and critical service workers and the continuity of essential delivery services.

“Covid-19 has proved challenging with staff having to self-isolate and work within Government restrictions. However, our team and contractors adapted quickly and rose to that challenge. Ahead of lockdown, we secured additional pothole filling materials in case of shortages in supply. We took advantage of the good weather and the reduction in traffic to refresh road markings. We’ve put in the necessary infrastructure for the Clean Air Zone and all our resurfacing work has been completed, which means residents in the areas where work was carried out are now benefitting from smoother, quieter roads.”

To report a problem with the council’s roads, pavements or parks visit: https://fix.bathnes.gov.uk/