Roads may close over safety fears

17 June 2009

Welsh roads may have to close in order to guarantee safety, because of a lack of funding, the chair of the CSS (Wales) has warned.

Dave Faulkner told the Welsh Assembly’s finance committee: ‘It is becoming more and more difficult to ensure users are not inconvenienced but, ultimately, roads may have to be closed because there may not be funds to maintain them in a safe condition.

‘We are not there yet, but with competing demands for budgets within all local authorities, perhaps this day draws ever closer.’

While council budgets are squeezed, the Welsh Assembly Government has not committed to continuing a £15M-a-year grant scheme for improving road surfaces. A WAG spokesman said: ‘The need for future funding will be decided once the results for the 2008/09 financial year have been received. At this stage, four years of data will be available for analysis, enabling us to evaluate the effectiveness of the grant.’

Register now for full access

Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.

Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors. Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.

Already a registered? Login