The Asphalt Industry Alliance’s (AIA) latest ALARM survey reports that that you could drive around the world on the length of local authority roads that could fail in the next 12 months – with cash-strapped local authorities reporting that more than 24,400 miles of road could need maintenance in the next year.
Now in its 23rd year, ALARM also highlights that the gap between local authority highway maintenance funding in 2017/18 and the amount needed to keep the carriageway in reasonable order was almost £556 million. This is equivalent to a shortfall of £3.3 million for every local authority in England and Wales.
It would now take 14 years and more than £9.3 billion to get local roads back into a steady state, if adequate funds and resources were available.