Dumfries and Galloway Council has stated that over the last few months, their Road Service team has been prioritising investment in those parts of the road network where maintenance is most needed. In addition to its routine maintenance programmes, the Roads Service has repaired a further 6,600 road defects across the region’s roads.
On 22 August 2023, the Council’s Communities Committee agreed an investment of over £1 million to be allocated to carriageway patching works. This money was to prioritise helping reduce the backlog of potholes and other similar minor road maintenance repairs, with a minimum of £50,000 of investment in each ward across the region. The current expenditure to date of £300,000 has resulted in the repair of over 6,600 defects. With approximately two-thirds of this programme still to deliver, this additional investment is on track to make a significant difference to the number of potholes on our local roads.
During September and October, alongside a Council patching team, the Council contracted three spray injection patching teams and two thermal patching teams to operate in addition to its normal resources. These dedicated teams targeted areas of the road network with a high number of potholes and other defects in both rural and urban areas.
Thermal patching is an eco-friendly repair system that provides permanent repairs to large areas of the region’s road surfaces. The equipment reheats the existing road surface, bringing it back to a workable state where it can be recycled and used again. The use of spray injection patching equipment allows the patching teams to spray filler directly into the pothole or road defect enabling defects repairs to be completed quicker.
Councillor Ian Blake, Chair of Communities Committee explains: “This recent work is a great example of ensuring that we maximise the benefits of the investment in our roads, by targeting those areas of the road network across our region that need it most. I am delighted by the results made by focusing dedicated teams on these repairs over a relatively short period of time. Over 6,600 additional defects repaired is a great outcome.”
Councillor Jackie McCamon, Vice Chair of Communities Committee, added: “The undertaking of this work has also been a fantastic opportunity to look at new more eco-friendly methods of road repairs as we seek to improve the condition of our roads in Dumfries and Galloway, which are so vital in connecting communities and building our economy.”
