Council in 'game-changer' £1.5 million road scheme

County Durham is set to benefit from an additional £1.5 million investment in “game-changing” preventative highway maintenance aimed at improving road conditions and reducing the number of potholes.

Durham County Council will invest the funding over the next three years as part of its ongoing programme to maintain and improve the county’s 3800km road network.

The scheme will focus on roads nearing the end of their serviceable life, as well as locations where defects regularly occur, with the aim of preventing deterioration before more extensive repairs are needed.

Investment will total £750,000 in 2026/27, followed by £500,000 in 2027/28 and £250,000 in 2028/29.

Officials say the programme will use specialist preventative repair techniques, including mastic asphalt patching and spray injection patching, to extend the lifespan of road surfaces and reduce the need for reactive pothole repairs.

Around 30,000sq metres of highway is expected to be treated over the three-year period.

The additional funding complements the council’s existing annual highways programme, which invests £12.5 million in surfacing projects, surface dressing and micro asphalt as part of a wider strategy to improve the condition of County Durham’s roads and deliver long-term value for money.

Councillor Tim McGuinness, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for rural, farming and transport, said: “Our highways team does a lot of work to reduce the number of potholes across the county, and this additional investment will bolster these extensive efforts.

“Extra funding gives us the ability to prevent road defects before they develop and allows us to deliver targeted, preventative repairs.

“This preventive approach, when paired with new repair methods and traditional road resurfacing works, will be a game-changer for the county’s roads.

“We’re already investing £12.5 million into traditional surfacing works and we have a wide range of treatment techniques.

“We will continue to carry out regular safety inspections of roads and do all we can to reduce potholes across the county.”

Residents can report a pothole and see how we check our roads are safe at www.durham.gov.uk/potholes.

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