As many of our readers will have noticed, Chapel Road was resurfaced recently.
This road now looks so much better, particularly when compared to neighbouring roads and raised questions from our readers about which, and how many, local roads will be receiving the same treatment.
I contacted Cheshire East Council (CEC) to find out which other roads they were planning to resurface and in response I received a copy of their Asset Investment Programme - which is the name the Council has given to the work to repair or replace the road network across the Borough.
This programme seeks to "interrupt the current cycle of decline in the condition of our roads by early large scale targeted investment aimed at restoring the overall condition of carriageways to a state where they can then be proactively maintained in an overall 'steady state'. The Investment would be targeted at the areas where the maximum long term benefit can be achieved."
Cheshire East Highways has a duty to maintain the Boroughs' roads in a safe and serviceable manner to ensure adequate skid resistance, help minimise road traffic accidents and reduce the need for expensive structural maintenance.
There are a number of options available and the most widely used in Cheshire East are resurfacing, surface dressing and patching as well as the reactive maintenance such as pothole repair and gully maintenance.
The Cheshire East Highway Network is the Council's largest asset and is vital to the functioning of the Borough. It consists of 1,700 miles of road, 1,200 miles of footways, 38,000 streetlights and 484 bridges.
The Wilmslow Local Area Partnership, which covers Wilmslow, Handforth, Styal, Chorley and Alderley Edge, makes up 6% of the Borough's Network and consists of 92 miles of highway.
Of these 92 miles, 10.5 miles (which represents 4% of the Wilmslow LAP network) are considered to be defective - measured by a machine survey along A,B and C Roads and driven inspections along unclassified roads.
In Year 1 (2012/13) three local roads were identified as being in greatest need of treatment and seventeen for Year 2 (2013/2014).
In addition to Chapel Road, Chorley Hall Lane in Alderley Edge has also been earmarked for the same treatment of a binder course and surface course inlay. I have requested confirmation as to when this work will be carried out as it had been identified as a Year 1 (2012/13) scheme.
The third priority is Knutsford Road in Wilmslow, a section of which has also recently been resurfaced.
Talbot Road in Alderley Edge has been identified for resurfacing in the second year of the scheme*, along with sixteen roads in Wilmslow which are recommended for either resurfacing, surface dressing or strengthening.
The roads identified for works in Wilmslow are Dean Row Road, Moor Lane, Twinnies Road, Broadway, Bourne Street, Mill Road, Moor Lane, Chapel Road, Cedarway, Sylvan Avenue, Beech Grove, Prescott Road, Lacey Avenue, Alderdale Grove, Stanneylands Close and Davehall Avenue.
The Asset Investment Programme also lists dozens of roads in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow which have been recommended for resurfacing or surface dressing but are still outstanding.
In Alderley Edge these include Heyes Lane, Mottram Road, Beech Close, Blackshaw Lane, Carlisle Street, Davey Lane, Devonshire Drive, Elm Crescent, Elmfield Road, Green Lane, Hough Lane, Moss Lane, Moss Road, The Circuit, Trafford Road, Wilton Crescent and Windermere Drive.
I have asked CEC whether they intend to carry out these outstanding works and if so when, I am waiting for confirmation.
* The prioritisation for Year 2 schemes could be subject to change after annual condition surveys have been undertaken and some schemes may only be applied to sections of the road rather than the full length.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Seems like "we" are paying good money for substandard repairs.
Probably 85% of all the roads around Alderley Edge need to be repaired.
These roads are an utter disgrace and are the responsibility of the Council who have done very litte for a number of years to amend the situation.
It's finally come back to haunt them and shows their "couldn't care less" attitude.
We demand a massive investment to totally repair the roads around here, not just botched-up jobs.
It is a serious hazard and, it seems to me, the only reason there hasn't been a horrible accident here is that most traffic on this road is travelling slowly. It is only a matter of time though - the holes are really deep and dangerously broken. This website had a clear photo of the area recently.