Over £8million is set to be invested in Calderdale’s highways network over the next 12 months, with the proposed work plan being considered by the Council’s Cabinet.
Well-maintained highways and high-quality infrastructure are key for road safety and in encouraging the use of active travel methods, which subsequently supports the Council’s carbon reduction ambitions.
The Highways Capital Maintenance programme report, which will be considered by Cabinet, sets out the planned highways projects for 2024/25. The report outlines the different sources of funding which the Council has received and how the money will be allocated to improve the highways network.
Almost £6million would be spent on asset management, which includes carriageway maintenance, repairs of structures like bridges and walls and general work across the borough to improve road safety.
Most of the funding earmarked for asset management is due to be spent on carriageway resurfacing, surface dressing/patching and road reconstruction. Over 120 roads across the borough are included in the proposed programme of work for carriageway repairs in 2024/25. The roads included in the work plan have been prioritised based on condition surveys and using engineering judgement taking into account other factors such as customer and councillor feedback, impact on public transport and links to other work.
In addition to carriageway maintenance, the Council is also responsible for almost 300 highway structures, including bridges, large culverts, subways and highway walls. The work programme for 2024/25 also includes a series of repair, reconstruction and survey work at locations across the borough.
Work to improve routes that will support active travel is planned, using funding from the Government’s Active Travel and Rights of Way fund.
Further enhancements are planned to traffic signal technology, with additional upgrades to signalised crossings and junctions at six sites across the borough.
Calderdale is also set to receive over £1.3million from the West Yorkshire allocation of the Government’s Pothole Fund and Network North fund, to support road improvements and broader maintenance tasks on local highways.
The overall Highways Capital Maintenance Programme will be reviewed throughout the financial year to ensure that it can be contained within the approved budgets.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, Cllr Jenny Lynn, said:
“Calderdale’s roads are the Council’s largest asset and require regular maintenance. We understand that some roads in the borough are in need of work and we do all we can, within the available funding, to maintain good quality roads to keep Calderdale moving and support road safety.
“Our annual programme of work is informed and prioritised based on evidence, engineering judgement, customer feedback a links to other work. We aim to target the areas most in need and make our limited budget stretch as far as possible.
“The programme also supports our efforts to take climate action, recognising the importance of quality infrastructure in encouraging active travel and the use of public transport – subsequently reducing carbon emissions. Improving connections across the borough is also part of our priority ambitions to reduce inequalities and create strong and thriving towns and places.”
The Highways Maintenance Programme for 2024/25 will be discussed at the meeting of Calderdale Council’s Cabinet on Monday 11 March, at Halifax Town Hall from 3pm. The meeting can also be viewed online at https://calderdale.public-i.tv/core/portal/home(external link)