The improvement in road surface condition since the year 2000 has been sustained for a fifth year, according to the latest national road condition survey.
The average defects index for English local roads has fallen from 112.5 five years ago to 93.5 today, well below the 100 score in 1977. Surface conditions on non-built up unclassified roads also improved.
But the percentage of principal roads whose structural condition warrants closer attention continued to rise.