92,000 potholes repaired in North Yorkshire

A multi-million pound operation to ease pothole misery on North Yorkshire’s roads has seen sixty kilometres of highways repaired in just six months.

The programme, jointly funded by the Department for Transport and North Yorkshire County Council, was launched in the spring.

In the six months ended 30 September, it has repaired 92,000 potholes in 70 schemes across the county, at a total cost of £3m

County Councillor Gareth Dadd, Executive Member for Highways said: This really is a remarkable achievement.

In a relatively short space of time the County Council has made tremendous progress in tackling one of the most irritating miseries of modern life. There is still much to be done, but we are on with the job and our progress has been rapid.

Earlier this year, the County Council announced a major programme of highway work to repair the ravages of harsh winters on its highways network – one of the longest in England. The programme, which will cost some £50m and will take seven years to complete, is jointly funded by the Government and the Council, and is in addition to the £25m plus the Council normally spends on highway repairs every year.

Good roads are vital – for day-to-day travelling, for business and pleasure, and for economic prosperity.

With the help of our local MPs, we were able to demonstrate the urgent need for action, and once the funding had been obtained we lost no time in getting to work.

Significant schemes across the county include

£25,000 of repairs on the Standard Way industrial estate in Northallerton – a major commercial centre and employer
£145,000 on roads to and in Grosmont – a significant tourism location
£38,000 on resurfacing Water Lane in Selby, to improve access to the town centre and help promote its vitality and competitiveness
Rural road repairs including Winterscales Road, Ribblehead; Malham Moor Lane, Threshfield

County Councillor Dadd with class teacher Gemma Goodchild and children from Husthwaite Primary School enjoying the newly resurfaced and now pothole-free road outside the school for their cycling proficiency training

Councillor Dadd added: All of these schemes are in addition to the extensive work which was done in preparation for the Grand Depart of the Tour de France, which saw pothole repairs and resurfacing along considerable lengths of highway in, for example, Harrogate.

A list of schemes completed under the programme can be found at www.northyorks.gov.uk/potholefund

To report a pothole on-line see www.gov.uk/report-pothole

or search “my council” for a mobile phone application.