Pothole Fund Application Form Guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pothole-fund-2014-to- 2015-application Only one application form should be completed per local highway authority. Applicant Information Local authority name: Cheshire East Council Bid Manager Name and position: Gary Mallin – Network Manager Name and position of officer with day to day responsibility for delivering the proposed scheme. Contact telephone number: 01270 686342 Email address: [email protected] Postal address: Floor 6 Delamere House Crewe Cheshire CW1 2LL When authorities submit a bid for funding to the Department, as part of the Government’s commitment to greater openness in the public sector under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, they must also publish a version excluding any commercially sensitive information on their own website within two working days of submitting the final bid to the Department. The Department reserves the right to deem the business case as non-compliant if this is not adhered to. Please specify the weblink where this bid will be published: http://www.cheshireeasthighways.org/Contact-and-applications/Service-Aims-and- Objectives/Pothole-Fund-Application.aspx SECTION A – Your Highway The Department would like to understand more about the highway assets that fall under your statutory duties. We already collect data from your authority in regards to road lengths but we would like to understand more about the other assets you are responsible for. Please answer the following in your application: A1: What is the number of bridges owned by your authority with span over 1.5 metres? Cheshire East Council (CEC) own 690 bridges with a span over 1.5 metres A2: What is the total number of street lighting columns under your authority’s responsibility? CEC have 40,174 street lights A3: What is the total number of street lighting columns under your authority’s responsibility over 40 years old? CEC have 11,682 street lighting columns over 40 years old A4: What is the total length of footways under the responsibility of your authority (in miles)? CEC have 1,921 miles of footways A5: What is the total length of off road cycleways under the responsibility of your authority (in miles)? CEC does not hold exact information on off road cycleways other than 96 miles of PROW can be used by cyclists. A6: Please provide a weblink to your authority’s statement of how the flood recovery funding, awarded in March 2014, has/will be spent: http://www.cheshireeasthighways.org/Roadworks-Centre/Severe-Weather-Recovery- Scheme.aspx 2 SECTION B – Potholes B1: Which of the recommendations arising from the Pothole Review Report has your authority adopted? Recommendation 1: Cheshire East Council is working to the latest HMEP code of practices and adopting recommendations made by the pothole review. Recommendation 2: CEC have participated in the NHT Satisfaction survey for many years and also canvases satisfaction levels of its residents and elected members. Results are monitored and taken in to consideration for local highway maintenance policies. Recommendation 3: All forms of communication outlets are utilised including Service Information Centre web site, Twitter, newsletters, press releases, drop in sessions. Web based fault reporting and tracking system in place with pothole policy detailed within the web site. Recommendation 4: CEC have recognised the importance of economic benefits of a good highway network and invested £23m over two years from 2013/14 alongside the DfT Pothole fund of £2.2m provided over the same period. Recommendation 5: CEC have a three year medium term financial strategy and three year plan in place which is reviewed and updated on an annual basis. Recommendation 6: Road condition surveys are used for both capital and revenue highway maintenance. Individual pothole safety defect repairs are logged and this information is also used for the following years planned maintenance. CEC have a two year £23m investment programme in structural/preventative maintenance. Recommendation 7: CEC has an integrated highway service provided by Ringway Jacobs and companies are available both in house and with its shareholder companies (Jacobs and Eurovia) to ensure up to date design specification and materials. Recommendation 8: In conjunction with Recommendation 7, fully up to date sector guidance and DfT advice is used to ensure the use of appropriate materials for the right site. Recommendation 9: CEC have a detailed risk based maintenance policy. This policy details extensive categorisation of defects including dimensions and response times based on an assessment of risk by road class. Recommendation 10: CEC maintenance policy adopts 'right first time' approach. Temporary repairs are only utilised on sites with safety concerns, i.e. high speed roads and also in severe weather situations. All are followed up with a permanent repair. CEC have developed a three level strategy for improving network condition. Recommendation 11: CEC have a detailed inspection manual to support implementation of the inspection policy. Highways inspectors are trained, qualified and competent (Lantra Awarded City and Guilds 301 and 311 Highway Safety Inspections). Recommendation 12: CEC use fully electronic data capture method for identification of potholes utilising tablet based GPS technology with data transfer to maintenance crews PDA’s. PDA technology is used for the management / repairs of potholes so that full before and after photographs plus accurate location is recorded in our asset management system. Recommendation 13: CEC follow the guidance provided in the ADEPT report pothole and repair techniques for local highway. This includes permanent repairs; 3 saw cut edges; use of hot mix materials; use of permanent cold material repair systems; use of innovative repair techniques such as indirect heat (Infrared) and jet patching. Recommendation 14: CEC integrated service provider is Lloyds Register quality assured and the scope of their approval is inspections, maintenance, design and construction of highway infrastructure, improvement and associated structures. Recommendation 15: Works on CEC highway network is coordinated through the street works management team who manage both internal and external works promoters on the network. New surfacing schemes etc. are managed and protected for up to five years (section 58 and 58a NRSWA) based on good asset management practice. Recommendation 16: CEC promote alternative and innovative ways of working including solar and wind powered warning signs and encourage utility providers on the CEC network to consider minimising long term damage by adopting minimal dig/trenchless techniques where possible. Recommendation 17: CEC integrated service provider regularly attend HMEP seminars and the like to ensure that awareness of up to date research is available. Senior members of the company are also officers in the HTMA which also promotes latest research and innovative techniques. The report can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3995/potho le-review.pdf? Please answer the following, including providing supporting information, where applicable: Question Yes/No All ‘yes’ answers must be supported evidence. Please append supporting information, clearly marking the question number to which the information refers. A. Has your authority Yes No Cheshire East has aligned its maintenance aligned its programmes both annually and on a longer maintenance strategic view as embedded in the Authority’s programme to the Local Transport Plan and Medium Term Financial Government’s Strategy. Once we are aware of the DfT’s highways maintenance Highway Maintenance Block funding settlements funding years (i.e. for 2015-2021 maintenance programmes will be 2011-2015 and 2015- aligned to these budgets, allowing the highway 2021)? asset to be maintained in the most efficient and effective way. Evidence: Refer to Appendix 1 CEC 3 year plan Web links to LTP B. Has your authority Yes No Cheshire East Highways have adopted a clear adopted the principle three stage strategy to deal with carriageway that ‘prevention is defects. The approach clearly defines the desired better than cure’ in outcome: 4 determining the balance between Level 1 - Keeping the network safe and structural, serviceable. Carrying out permanent preventative and repairs to defects within prescribed reactive maintenance timescales to ensure network is safe. activities in order to Level 2 - Maintaining and protecting. Using a improve the resilience defined programme of works for of the highway medium size patching, to target areas network and to that have potential to become future minimise the defects. occurrence of Level 3 - Improving network. Large scale potholes in the future? highway investment programme that is driven by and asset management approach to achieve overall network improvement with appropriate treatments. Cheshire East has invested £23m to make major improvements to the condition of the road network, through its Highways Investment Programme. The teams have already successfully delivered £13m of benefits, improving over 100 miles of road during 2013/14 and will be working over 2014/15 to deliver the remaining £10m. This approach has shown significant improvements in the network condition, numbers of pothole enquires and the number of third party claims. N168 improved from 6% to 5% between 2012/13 and 2013/14. N169 improved