Page 1 –Dorset Highways Capital Programme 2016/17 Agenda I tem: Environment Insert Overview Item Committee No. Date of Meeting 19 January 2016 Officer Andrew Martin – Head of Highways Subject of Report Dorset Highways Capital Programme 2016/17 Executive Summary This report is intended to advise members of the proposed Local Transport Plan (LTP) capital programme for 2016/17. Appendix 1 also shows the capital maintenance schemes proposed for construction between 1 st April 2016 – 31 st March 2017. This is a provisional programme at this stage and may be subject to change, pending confirmation of the budget situation, and subject to feasibility / provisional designs. Impact Assessment: Equalities Impact Assessment : An Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) was carried out as part of the Bournemouth, Please refer to the Poole and Dorset Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3). An Accessibility protocol for writing Strategy was also produced as a supporting strategy to the L reports. TP. The recommendation is not considered to have any negative or differential impact on the equalities of any person or group. Use of Evidence : All proposed highways improvement s schemes are prioritised against the County Council’s key objectives for transport, as described in the Local Transport Plan. The methodology for prioritising schemes includes the use of evidence such as casualty data, feasibility studies and evidence of local support from Town and Parish Councils. Page 2 –Dorset Highways Capital Programme 2016/17 The Bridges and Structures and Carriageway Maintenance programmes are developed from evidence of asset condition which is determined using a variety of surveying techniques and monitoring equipment along with visual assessments and reported defects. Budget : The capital progr amme i s funded from Government allocations, developer contributions, and other external grants.. We are still waiting for confirmation of 2016/17 IT block funding allocations which is expected in January / February. Risk Assessment : It is the officer’s opinion that there are no high risks that need to be reported, having considered all possible risks in line with the Council’s approved risk management methodology. Current Risk: Low Residual Risk: Low Recommendation That the Committee approves the 2016/17 LTP Capital Programme. Reason for To support the County Council’s corporate aims and objectives Recommendation linked to economic growth and health, safeguarding and wellbeing. Appendices Appendix 1 – Proposed capital maintenance programme. Background Papers Report Originator and Name: Mike Hansford Contact Tel: 01305 228168 Email: [email protected] Page 3 –Dorset Highways Capital Programme 2016/17 1. Background The Local Transport Plan (LTP) is a statutory document that sets out the County’s priorities in terms of the transport systems in the region. It sets out the strategy for maintenance, management and development. The LTP documents how funding, largely provided through Government Grants will be used to deliver improved transport and support key objectives identified by Government and local authorities. Section 41 of the Highways Act places a statutory duty on Dorset County Council as he Highway Authority to maintain highways, maintainable at public expense. Appendix 1 documents the Dorset Highways Capital Programme and provides Members with all of the proposed schemes that meet the LTP goals and support corporate aims and objectives, for the forthcoming financial year. These schemes are proposed at this stage, and an update and progress on these schemes will be provided to Members through the Quarterly Asset management Report. 2. Prioritising Highway Improvement Schemes. The Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3) came into effect from April 2011. LTP3 sets out our transport priorities for the 15 year period to 2026, providing the context for improvement schemes. Five key goals now guide our approach to transport in Dorset and are reflected in the assessment process through which improvement scheme s are prioritised: • Supporting economic growth • Tackling climate change • Equality of opportunity • Better safety, security and health • Improved quality of life The authority is now required also, to demonstrate efficiencies and value for money in all transport investment. Dorset Highway’s scheme identification process ensures that all potential schemes are assessed and prioritised against LTP3 goals. The illustration below shows the criteria against which, these schemes are prioritised. Page 4 –Dorset Highways Capital Programme 2016/17 3. Highways Asset Maintenance Dorset’s Highways Asset Management Plan (HAMP) documents the County Council’s approach to maintenance of Highway Assets. In some cases this documents knowledge gaps or things we need to do to improve how these assets are maintained. The Volume 2 of this document breaks down each asset group and documents the County’s approach to maintaining each asset. Scheme assessment of these assets is based on asset condition which is collected using a variety of methods and techniques, including visual inspections and machine surveys. For THE Purpose of prioritisation this data is combined with outputs such as recorded defects and enquiries/complaints, engineering judgement. Additional weighting is also attributed to Dorset’s resilient network and part of a regional exercise to develop network resilience. This is intended to mitigate the risks posed by extreme weather events linked to climate change and keep strategic routes accessible, even during times of adverse weather. Maintenance schemes continue to support the goals documented in the LTP3 and indeed the corporate objectives linked to promoting highway safety and maintaining health, safeguarding of motorists and the wider public and wellbeing. These maintenance schemes also support the Highways Service’s strapline of Keeping Dorset Moving. Decisions linked to budget allocation to activities, whilst supporting all of these goals and objectives, also help reduce future maintenance costs. A report submitted to the Cabinet set out investment requirements for both carriageways and Traffic Control. The report highlighted a shortfall in the £14.7million required to maintain the current condition of the carriageway network. This is through the £11million formula funding grant from Central Government, which is also used to maintain other highway assets. There a bid for corporate capital funding was made for £3.65million. Traffic Control identified through the HAMP; a number of units requiring urgent investment having exceeding their life and now at risk of now working or in some cases literally falling over. A further bid to the corporate centre for £1million was also submitted. The provisional programme of capital maintenance schemes is documented in Appendix 1. 4 Local Transport Settlement 4.1 Integrated Transport Block Funding The Local Transport Integrated Block funding for 2016/17 is £2,088,000 (to be confirmed) As it was last financial year, this figure is reduced having been top sliced by the Government to provide funding for the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to award to local schemes. Where opportunities exist, schemes are walk, talk, build to reduce design costs and maximise this investment in the network. Page 5 –Dorset Highways Capital Programme 2016/17 4.2 Highways Capital Block Funding Following the Secretary of State for Transport announcement that £6 billion will be made available between 2015/16 and 2020/21 for local highways maintenance capital funding, we now have some certainty in future funding. However £578million of this has now been incentivised and will require highway authorities to demonstrate that they are delivering value for money through embedment of asset management and seeking to implement efficiencies. This will be through a self assessment process to determine bandings that will influence the proportion authorities will get of the incentivised element of the funding. The DfT have now called on authorities to submit their completed self assessment questionnaires by the 31 st January to determine the proportion of the incentivised elements they will receive for 2016/17. The Highways Maintenance Capital Block Funding for 2016/17 is therefore anticipated to be £10,415,746 for structural maintenance, and £2,337,514 for bridges and structures, with the incentivised element of £771,989 for structural maintenance and £141,496 for bridges and structures. This is likely to be confirmed following submission of the incentive fund self assessment questionnaire at the end of January. However following a dry run of this exercise in the summer which saw Dorset County Council identify itself as a band 2, mid performing authority, it is anticipated 100% of this element will be awarded for 2016/17. The structural maintenance funding is reduced by £550,000 to fund Dorset’s contribution to the A338 Bournemouth Spur Road major maintenance scheme. 5 Highways Capital Programme 2016/17 5 .1 Highways Improvement Programme 2016/17 The following schemes have been identified and targeted for delivery in 2016/17. Some of these schemes have been deferred from the 2015/16 programme. Highway Improvements - Safety Schemes A35 Junction improvement, Axium Centre Barrack Road Safety Scheme 1 – Shell Garage Collision Site Barrack Road Safety Scheme 2 – Junction with Avenue Road (crossing point) A351 Wareham roundabout with North Causeway B3070 / A352 West Holme junction improvement West Stour Crossroads A30 East Stour Cross junction