A Welsh city expects to spend about £9m in the first year of what is considered the largest highways maintenance project by a local authority in Wales.
Newport City Council’s three-year Project 21, funded by prudential borrowing, is possibly the largest of its kind in Britain. The council had to follow European procurement rules to select contractors.
Phase 1 covers 12 zones ‘based on need and litigation levels’. Some zones cover entire housing estates or villages, and one includes city-centre streets. Newport cabinet members were told this week that Phase 1, which began in June, would continue for a full year, beyond the financial year end. However, 90% of Phase 1 work is expected to be finished by April, said Andrew Morris, Newport’s head of engineering and construction.
‘It is anticipated that on completion of the surveys and treatment design we will have an accurate estimate of the expenditure required for Phase 2. Spend profiling for Phase 1 has indicated an estimated spend of circa £9m.’ Phase 1 contained the neediest zones in terms of structural maintenance, he said.
‘Continuing with the risk-management approach, a further eight zones are planned for Phase 2 starting in June 2010, again with a 12-month construction period.’ Phase 2 would target areas of ‘high third-party claim activity and demanding reactive maintenance areas’, added Mr Morris.
Resurfacing and reconstruction contracts were awarded to Hanson and Tarmac for carriageways and to Jim Davies Civil Engineering and Encon for footways. Contracts went to Alan Griffiths for streetwide improvements and to Road Maintenance Services for treatment of carriageway and footway surfaces.
In August 2008, it emerged that Newport paid more in compensation claims than any other Welsh authority from 2005 to 2007. Newport’s payouts accounted for 40% of the £8m Welsh total. Newport’s new leader commented that the council seemed to have spent more on claims than remedies. Photo caption (photo by Rhodri Clark): Roads in this area of Newport are in Zone 9, one of 12 zones being tackled in this year’s Phase 1 maintenance works.
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