What we do to look after our roads, footways and drains.
How we choose roads to repair and treat
We carry out video surveys every year of all adopted roads in the city.
We review the results with other data to prioritise the roads and footways we maintain.
Resurfacing
To resurface a road, we remove and replace the top layer of the road.
This helps to:
- improve the quality and grip
- reduce noise
- give it a smooth surface
We sometimes need to reconstruct the road.
This takes longer because it involves replacing the lower layers of the road to address defects which shorten the life of a road.
We often use large machinery and other equipment, so we shut roads to complete the work safely. We mainly do this overnight to minimise disruption.
Patching
Patching is where we cut out and repair damaged sections of a road.
We sometimes use a preventative treatment weeks or months later.
Patching creates a strong foundation so any preventative treatments last as long as possible.
We often use large machinery and other equipment, so we shut roads to complete the work safely.
Carriageway (road) preventative maintenance
Carriageway preventative maintenance is carried out to protect and extend the life of our roads by up to 10 years.
By treating roads before major damage occurs, we can:
- prevent potholes
- improve driving conditions
- reduce the need for expensive and disruptive resurfacing
Carriageway preventative maintenance is usually carried out between April and October, when the weather is generally drier and warmer. This ensure the materials set and perform effectively.
The treatment seals and protects the surface from water damage and improves skid resistance.
The process involves:
- sweeping the road
- applying the treatment
- allowing it to set before reopening to traffic
- sweeping the road multiple times to remove any excess stone
We often use large machinery and other equipment, so we shut roads to complete the work safely.
Road markings
We aim to repaint markings on the main roads of each ward every few years. This helps us make sure that important markings are in a safe and visible condition.
We investigate all reports of faded or missing markings. We may arrange for these to be repainted in small batches, with safety-related markings taking priority.
Markings are repainted after preventative maintenance or resurfacing.
It can take up to 8 weeks to repaint all road markings that have been affected by works. This cannot be done in wet or cold conditions as the material will not stick.
Highway drainage
We have 45,000 gullies (surface water drains) on our roads, footways and subway tunnels.
The gullies on main roads are cleaned each year. We inspect all other gullies and arrange cleaning when it's needed.
When we clean the gullies, we empty them and make sure the pipes are not blocked.
If a gully does not drain off properly it is recorded for further investigation and repair.
We do not maintain drainage on private (unadopted) roads.
You can report blocked gullies through Fix My Street. We aim to check the gullies within a month.
Footway (pavement) preventive maintenance
We use a process called slurry seal as a preventative treatment for our footways.
Slurry seal is used to:
- fill small cracks
- make the footway weatherproof
- give the footway a standard appearance
It's laid thinly on the footway surface and takes around 2 hours to dry. You cannot walk or drive on the footway during that time.
This helps the footway last longer and avoids costly repairs or having to replace it.
We carry out this work around every 10 years between March and November. The treatment needs to be laid during dry weather.
Footway (pavement) replacement
When preventative treatments are not suitable, we may consider replacing the footway.
Footways made of concrete blocks or stone slabs may be taken up and relaid.
If these are broken we replace them with an equivalent replacement, or with bituminous materials.
Existing bituminous materials will be replaced using similar materials.
If an access to a driveway (haulingway) is currently concrete, we may replace it with blocks, slabs or bituminous materials to match the local area.
We try to reuse existing materials where possible, but these may be replaced with alternative materials if the existing is no longer suitable.
Winter maintenance including grit bins
During cold weather we grit the main roads around the city to keep them free from ice. We use rock salt to prevent ice from forming and snow from settling.
We also have around 800 grit-bins for residents to spread rock salt on footways (pavements) during cold weather. These are usually on steep hills and either side of footbridges.
Grit bins are inspected and refilled as needed.