Concerns about the damage inflicted on Scottish roads by sub-standard utility repairs have been raised by ~Glasgow City Council~.
A report to the city’s roads and lighting committee this week warns that most reinstatements are still not being carried out correctly, challenging utilities’ claims that the quality of workmanship has been improving. Glasgow’s case is based on an independent survey of at least 800 reinstatements – more than four times the number tested in the latest national coring programme.
More than half (55%) of the Glasgow cores breached the code, mostly because of the wrong layer thickness. ~Robert Booth~ director of land services, described the results as ‘very disappointing’. All the reinstatements tested had been carried out between 2002 and 2004. Similar failure rates could be assumed for the vast majority that had not been cored, he said. The outcome was consistent with the findings of the bi- annual national programme, last conducted in 2004. ‘Glasgow’s roads are covered with sub-standard reinstatements going back more than a decade,’ he warned members. Cores only showed blacktop thickness. Poor compaction of the underlying loose granular material could also lead to many early reinstatement failures.
Committee convener Willie O’Rourke pledged to send out failure notices to the utilities, obliging them to carry out remedial work as well as the cost of the coring. Glasgow plans to continue coring and a second 1,000-core exercise covering 2004/05 reinstatements is under way. The Scottish Joint Utilities Group said the city council had ignored guidance on coring agreed by the bilateral Roads Authorities and Utilities Committee that results should be agreed between the authority and relevant utility.
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