Road repairs & maintenance

What services does the Council offer for road repairs?

• Inspecting roads to identify what repairs are needed.
• Repairing and resurfacing roads and road markings.
• Repairing and repaving of pavements.
• Monitoring and co-ordinating gas, electricity, water and telecommunication company works.
• Design and supervision of major road strengthening schemes.
• Monitoring and supervision of developments where they impact on the road.
• Maintaining street furniture such as signs, bollards, guard railings, street seats and name plates.
• Maintaining roadside grass verges.
• Dealing with road related emergencies such as road collapses, floods, heavy snow and fallen trees.
• Installing facilities for people with disabilities.

Are we responsible for the motorways?

The M53 motorway is the responsibility of the Highways Agency. The routes are maintained by A-ONE +.

There is currently a major works programme taking place on the M53 Bidston Moss viaduct to strengthen the structure. You can read more about the progress of those works - M53 Bidston Moss viaduct works

How does the Council go about selecting which roads and pavements will be resurfaced and repaired each year?

We are committed to planning our highway maintenance programme proactively. We use a nationally accredited United Kingdom Pavement Management System (UKPMS) to analyse the condition of Wirral roads and pavements.

Each year, over a period of eight weeks, every single road in Wirral is inspected using specialist equipment. Data generated by this inspection is then used to prioritise the roads and pavements in Wirral which most need treatment. This report is purely based on a structural need and not geographical location.

In addition to this report we also take on board the views of the general public, sites of potential accident claims and the input of the area forums. The proposed highway maintenance programme then goes to both Select Committee and Cabinet for approval by Councillors.

The amount of available funding determines the extent of the programme. Additionally if any of the utilities contact us with plans to go into an area we will postpone schemes until they have finished their work.

Does the Council monitor the condition of Wirral’s roads and pavements?

A team of specialist engineers carry out regular inspections of all Wirral roads and pavements – both as a matter of routine and in response to reports from members of the public.

Four area champions are each responsible for a ‘patch’ – in North, South, East or West Wirral. The champions co-ordinate inspection regimes in these areas. Each has a further three inspectors working for them and acting as their eyes and ears on the street.

The number of times a road or paved area is routinely inspected in a year basically depends on the extent to which it is used. For example, busy town centres are inspected once a month, but quiet cul-de-sacs only need to be inspected once a year. This is in line with national recommendations.

Why haven’t you repaired the broken paving flags and potholes in my road?

Following an inspection by Council engineers any broken flags, potholes, or other defects are classed as either a ‘priority’ job or as a ‘serviceability’ job. This classification depends on a range of factors such as the depth of a pothole or the extent to which a paving flag has lifted.

The priority jobs need to be done first for safety reasons and after an initial inspection they will be repaired.

The serviceability jobs are ones that don’t present any immediate risk to public safety. They are still recommended for repair work, but the timescale within which they are carried out depends on the availability of funding. A list of all outstanding serviceability jobs is drawn up and reviewed on a monthly basis. We attempt to clear as much of this work as possible, but due to it not being urgent and budget dependent we are limited.

Is the Council responsible for all road works in Wirral?

Each of the utility companies (gas, water, electricity and telecommunication suppliers) has statutory powers that give them unlimited access to the road network. This means that by law Wirral Council is obliged to co-operate with the public utilities in their requests for road closures.

Both Transco and United Utilities are involved in major programmes of work across Wirral at the moment. Transco is carrying out the work under instruction of the Health and Safety Executive and United Utilities are under instruction from the water regulators OFWAT.

What can the Council do to limit the disruption to motorists caused by road works?

Council engineers offer traffic management guidance to the public utilities - despite no legal obligation on a local authority to provide this service. Our engineers double-check any signing and diversion plans provided by the utilities and decide whether or not it is feasible and appropriate. If any potential problems are identified we will meet with project managers to discuss the matter further and come up with a suitable alternative.

Emergency services, public transport (bus services) and local traders are also kept aware of proposals.

Does the Council monitor the standard of road works carried out by the public utilities?

All companies carrying out road works must operate within a ‘Code of Practice’ established as part of the Road and Street Works Act 1991. This sets out work specifications and standards. Wirral Council has a legal to duty to inspect 30% of road works to make sure companies meet these standards - we must stress that this is not a supervisory role and again our powers are limited.

Wirral Council can issue a defect notice if work is not being carried out correctly. It may be that traffic signs are wrong, or work has not been completed within the given timescale. For any minor works the utility company has three days to clear the site.

Due to the fact that we can only inspect 30% of road works, we also rely on the public to contact us if they have concerns about road works in their area by reporting any problems to Streetscene.

My road was only dug up six weeks ago – why have they returned a second time to carry out more work?

After road works have been carried out by the public utilities, the hole in the road is often only temporarily filled in. This is because the team that carries out work under the road will have different skills to those repairing the road. Under current legislation the public utilities have a maximum of six months in which to return and do a permanent reinstatement.