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More than 38,000 road repairs done as council gears up for winter maintenance routine

Last winter Aberdeenshire Council repaired over 20,000 potholes during the critical winter months, completing nearly the same number again in summer.

Although predictions are for a severe winter ahead, long term forecasting is difficult and preparations have been made based on lessons learned in the last two years.

Aberdeenshire Council maintains over 5,420km of roads, over 10% of the non-trunk road network in Scotland, and over 1,500km of footway. The area also has some of the highest levels of car ownership per head of population in Scotland.

Over the course of the year, an extensive annual programme of preventative road maintenance has been carried out.

Between September 2010 and August 2011 roads teams repaired over 38,000 carriageway defects, most of which were repaired when they appeared in winter.

More than 150km of roads were surface dressed, a technique which can be carried out while roads are open, whereby hot bitumen is applied to seal the existing road surface, followed by stone chippings to provide improved skid resistance.

A further 53km of roads were resurfaced this year, a process involving the removal and replacement of road layers.

Aberdeenshire Council continuously ranks in the top 5 of all 32 councils in the annual Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey.

As the summer season draws to a close, attention has turned to preparations for winter maintenance.  Around 1,660km of Aberdeenshire’s roads are identified as a priority network for winter treatment.

This year four new 4x4 gritters have been added to the fleet, staff rotas for crews have been drawn up and the winter maintenance operations room is ready to go.

In common with many public agencies, the council has been thoroughly preparing, ensuring salt and grit is fully-stocked, inspecting vehicles and reviewing procedures.

It starts this winter with double last year’s level of salt stocks and an additional £3m has been transferred to the Winter and Other Emergencies Fund.

Planned treatments are at the heart of the council’s preventative measures. Weather forecasts are monitored throughout winter and a formal standby system for people and machinery is in place between mid November and the end of March, though dates can be varied to suit prevailing conditions.

Aberdeenshire is a geographically diverse area, covering landscapes from mountain to sea.  Weather conditions can vary dramatically across the area, so personnel and equipment are dispersed so appropriate treatments can be carried out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The winter fleet includes 92 vehicles fitted with gritters, ploughs or snow blowers, along with 52 footpath gritters/ploughs. During the worst of the winter weather this work can involve over 300 staff.

Even with these resources we cannot deliver the whole service. Council staff are therefore supported by up to 120 tractors operated by farmers, with blades supplied by the council, and 32 ploughs operated by contractors.

These farmers and contractors play an important role in the overall winter response plan, and provide the initial snow clearing response across our more rural network.

In an average winter, if such a thing exists, we routinely use over 40,000 tonnes of salt in the winter season, with over 70,000 man hours being required.

Chairman of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, Peter Argyle, said: “It’s vital we continue to manage and maintain the road network across Aberdeenshire to the standards we have achieved in the past.

“I am confident that we have the resources, ability and experience, of both adverse weather and roads maintenance, to do just that.

“Despite last year’s weather we performed well, and given all the preparations I know have taken place so far, we are very well placed to respond to the challenge of the upcoming winter.”

Vice chair Jill Webster added: “We are thoroughly prepared and, although extreme weather conditions have been forecast by some, we hope any problems will be limited and I am sure that all the pre-planning which goes in before every winter in Aberdeenshire will pay off again.

“Members of the public have an vital role to play, and can help us maintain the best possible roads network by reporting faults and assist community resilience by doing what they can to be prepared for winter. Anyone who is interested should look at the Ready Aberdeenshire website for more information.”

Infrastructure Services committee recently approved amendments to the council’s roads winter maintenance operational plan, with Cllr Argyle commenting: “I think this puts us in a very strong position for the winter that may, or may not, be before us.”

The council has an online reporting system which allows members of the public to report any faults, including road defects and lighting issues through the council website.

All reports go directly into the council’s repair programme, helping us to carry out timely and efficient repairs.

Road defects can also be reported by text to: 07624 802 722. You should include a reason for texting (e.g. road defect), as detailed as possible a description and a specific location. To report any faults by telephone please call 08456 08 12 05.

Roads quality and resource manager, Bill Lennox, said: “We would encourage people to use the service online, by text or by phone, as it helps us make speedy repairs, leading to fewer issues when repairs are more difficult to carry out due to weather conditions.”

For more information on gritting and snow-clearing in Aberdeenshire, see here: http://bit.ly/rnOZh3

Information about preparing for severe weather is available at http://bit.ly/r3Lss0 and on the websites of public agencies, including Aberdeenshire Council. (http://bit.ly/pfVOhP )

Further information is also available on the Ready Aberdeenshire site (http://bit.ly/oG0XLp ) or on the Scottish Government’s Ready Winter website: www.readyscotland.org

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