£9m investment in Highways - where is it being spent?

Published: 19 October 2020

Updated 10:40am, 4 February 2020

Earlier this year, Derby City Council announced that an additional £9m would be invested in Derby’s highways over the next two years (2020/21 and 2021/22).

Six months later, what has happened so far, and what’s to come?

Well, to-date Derby City Council’s Streetpride teams have completed twelve road resurfacing and repair schemes, including several key routes in the city such as Normanton Road, Sitwell Street and Lexington Road.

Looking forward, there’s an ambitious plan of schemes still to take place, including resurfacing Ascot Drive, Uttoxeter Old Road and Chaddesden Park Road. A full list of schemes that have been completed or are still to come, is available at the bottom of this article.

Councillor Jon Smale, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Streetpride said that the areas included in the scheme were not there by chance – they’re included based on detailed surveys and investigations of Derby’s roads and footpaths.

It’s all about treating the right places, with the right treatment at the right point in time. And the decision to resurface is not based solely on its condition – we also consider the contribution that road plays in the community, whether it be serving local schools, shops, businesses, or busy bus routes. Roads are the single most valuable asset the Council owns, so it’s only right that we properly invest in them to make sure that they’re safe for all our residents for years to come. Almost £4.8m has been spent on planned and preventative maintenance in the first six months of this programme alone. The difference it makes in local communities is very clear to see.

As well as investment in networks, Derby City Council is also investing in tools to keep Derby’s roads in tip-top shape. In July, we announced the arrival of Hogzilla, the Multihog that can be used to help prepare roads for resurfacing, gritting and more. The team has already used Hogzilla to complete almost £600,000 worth of work on 31 streets across the city, and more recently, we’ve invested in a Vögele paving machine to ensure roads in the city are repaired and resurfaced more efficiently than ever.

Councillor Smale continued;

Our teams have worked incredibly hard to pull together this ambitious plan and improve journeys in the city. I’d like to thank our them for their hard work so far, and our residents for their patience and understanding whilst the work is completed.

For a full list of schemes taking place across the city, check out this interactive map. It shows the other streets completed or currently in design, for completion later this year.

Completed schemes

• Lexington Road, Chaddesden – completed May 2020
• Blenheim Drive, Allestree – completed June 2020
• The Strand, City Centre – completed June 2020
• A52 – completed July 2020
• Sitwell Street / Moor Street, Spondon– completed July 2020
• Taddington Road, Derwent – completed July 2020
• Mayfield Road (part), Derwent – completed July 2020
• Grafton Street, Abbey – completed July 2020
• Normanton Road, Arboretum– completed August 2020
• Lodge Lane, Spondon – completed August 2020
• Mill Hill Lane / Mount Street, Arboretum – completed September 2020
• Mansfield Road/junction with Stores Road, Derwent – completed September 2020
• Arleston Lane - completed October 2020
• Bishops Drive, Oakwood - completed October 2020
• Elton Road/Addison Road roundabout  - completed October 2020
• Wood Road, Chaddesden - completed November 2020
• Ascot Drive, Alvaston - completed December 2020
• Hampshire Hill, Chaddesden - completed December 2020
• Station Road, Mickleover - completed December 2020
• Kings Croft, Allestree - completed December 2020
• Arundel Street, Abbey - completed December 2020
• Stockbrook Road, Abbey - completed December 2020
• Bridge Street, Darley - completed December 2020
• Instow Drive, Blagreaves -completed December 2020
• Donington Drive, Blagreaves - completed December 2020
• Chaddesden Park Road, Chaddesden - completed January 2021

COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that we maintain our road networks too, so that essential supplies, as well as emergency workers can travel to where they are needed most.  We have worked closely with our contractor to make sure that we can work where it is safe and appropriate to do so.  The contractor is working to Public Health England and Construction Industry Council guidance on social distancing and safety operations.

Please note that some of the work is difficult to complete with social distancing.  The contractor has provided us with details of how they will work through this as safely as possible.

We would ask that you please respect our key workers completing this essential work.

You can find out more information by emailing highways.maintenance@derby.gov.uk.

Streets, Transport