Here’s how many potholes are repaired in West Sussex every week

An average of 350 potholes are repaired every week across West Sussex, with a total of 18,514 filled in by highways crews in 2019 to 2020.
Pothole repair taking placePothole repair taking place
Pothole repair taking place

West Sussex County Council is highlighting the work it does to repair our county’s roads as part of National Pothole Day (Wednesday January 15) .

The authority is also pressing for extra Government funding to help improve West Sussex’s roads.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Roger Elkins, cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said: “We take the pothole issue very seriously – we know they are the bane of road users’ lives and our highways teams, and our contractor, work hard prioritising and repairing them.

Road repairs taking place in West SussexRoad repairs taking place in West Sussex
Road repairs taking place in West Sussex

“We also welcome National Pothole Day if it highlights the need for extra Government funding to help us improve our roads.

“However, to focus on potholes alone is deceptive: we take a holistic approach to maintaining our road network, and carefully plan making the most of finite budgets with our resurfacing programme.”

The target is to fix significantly-sized potholes within 28 days, or sooner if the problem is severe.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, repairs are only part of the picture, the county council says as it also resurfaces whole/large sections of roads removing all the surface and replacing with a new one on top; carries out micro-surfacing, where a layer of asphalt emulsion is blended with finely-crushed stone to seal the road surface and stop further deterioration; and uses surface dressing, spraying the road with bitumen binder, followed by a layer of stone chippings which are then rolled in, sealing the road and restoring its skid-resisting properties.

All three methods contribute to the council’s pothole prevention strategy and in 2019 to 2020, it invested a total of £8.9 million treating 806,000m2 of carriageway using these three methods – the equivalent of nearly 60 miles of road.

In recent weeks, the frequent change between cold temperatures, to mild/wet weather, and back again, has increased the number of potholes on our roads.

The county council is responsible for maintaining around 2,500 miles of road. Repairing defects, such as potholes, is done on a priority basis, dependent on size and depth.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Roads are inspected according to their hierarchy, with busy A roads, for example, inspected frequently but quieter routes inspected less often.

However people can report concerns about potholes online people can report concerns about potholes online, where they can also find out how the council classifies different-sized potholes.

While the county council is responsible for most roads in West Sussex, Highways England is responsible for, and maintains, the A27, A23 and M23.