Hertfordshire roads are in good shape says Department for Transport
A report from the Department for Transport (DfT) published yesterday (17 December) into road conditions in England for the year ending March 2024, has shown that Hertfordshire’s A, B and C roads are in better condition than the national average
The DfT statistical release, which has been produced annually since 2007/8, shows that in 2024 the number of roads in England classified as needing maintenance was 4% of ‘A’ roads, 7% of ‘B and ‘C’ roads, and 17% of unclassified roads. This compares to figures for Hertfordshire of 3% of ‘A’ roads, 4% of ‘B’ and ‘C’ roads and 18% of unclassified roads needing maintenance. The DfT report acknowledges that data for unclassified roads is less robust than for classified roads and can show greater yearly fluctuations.
Between 2021/22 and 2024/25, Hertfordshire County Council has committed an extra £36.9m of funding Hertfordshire’s Highways above the annual core budget. This funding has been used on projects covering surfacing and potholes, drainage and routine maintenance. In addition, the council’s Invest To Improve (i2i) programme committed £29m to improve the unclassified road network.
The wet and cold weather that has been experienced over the last two years has made the task of maintaining the county’s roads more challenging. The winter season of 2022/23 was a particularly cold one, with the county council’s gritters called out on 78 runs compared to an average of 56, while the twelve months to the end of October 2024 saw 45% more rainfall across Hertfordshire than average, with the Environment Agency deeming this exceptionally high, its highest rating.
Phil Bibby, Executive Member for Highways and Transport at Hertfordshire County Council said: “We know how important a quality road infrastructure is in Hertfordshire and how it supports our residents and the vibrant local economy. I’m pleased to see that the Department for Transport consider the overall condition of our main road network to be better than the national average.
“There’s no denying that we have faced challenges with weather conditions, on our smaller roads in particular, but we have looked to invest over and above the annual budget in our road network over a number of years in order to maintain it as best possible.”
The full DfT report is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/road-conditions-in-england-to-march-2024/road-conditions-in-england-to-march-2024
To find out more about how the county council maintains Hertfordshire’s roads visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/highways