Resurfacing of public highways (FOI)

Request

A
Please confirm that a schedule for the resurfacing of public highways (roads) exists,

B
and if so, please could I be supplied with the list of said roads to be resurfaced from 2019 onwards (maximum of five years).

C
Specifically, I am interested to know when La Grande Route de la Cote will be resurfaced, given the poor surface conditions along parts of the route.

D
What is the criteria used by DFI to access when a specific road should be resurfaced?

E
What is the annual budget for road resurfacing?

F
What measures are taken to ensure utility companies and others return a dug up road to it proper condition.

Response

Growth Housing and Environment’s Highway Maintenance (HM) Team (formerly the Department for Infrastructure) are responsible for 167 of the 515 miles of public road in Jersey (public highways). The remainder are administered by the Parishes, Ports of Jersey and other States departments, or are privately owned. The response is therefore limited to public highways that are administered by Growth, Housing and Environment’s Highway Maintenance Section.

A
Growth, Housing and Environment maintain a programme for the reconstruction, resurfacing, or surface treatment of public highways.

B
The current programme for 2019 (dependent on available budget, to be confirmed as a result of the Medium Term Financial Plan Budget debate in October / November 2018) is as follows:

A3 – La Rue a Don / Gorey Coast Road / le Mont de Gouray
(Beach Road to the bottom of Le Mont de Gouray) (Resurfacing and reconstruction)

B36 – La Route des Quennevais
(Route des Genets to 100m south of La Rue Carree) (Resurfacing and reconstruction)

A14 – Rouge Bouillion
(east of Queen’s Road Roundabout to Val Plaisant) (Resurfacing and reconstruction)

A9 – Rouge Bouillion
(south of Queen’s Road Roundabout to Savile Street) (Resurfacing and reconstruction)

B34 – la Route de Trodez, Ruette Millais, Rue de la Pendue
(Route de Vinchelez to la Rue Freule) (Micro-Asphalt)

B69 – La Rue des Hetres & La Rue des Sapins
(Route du Carrefour au Cendre to Le Mont des Routeurs and Le Mont des Routeurs to La Grande Route de St. Pierre)

As with the proposed programme for 2019, the programme for 2020 onwards is subject to the explanation provided in point D below.

C
La Grande Route de la Cote is provisionally programmed for resurfacing as follows:

La Grande Route de la Cote (Millard’s Corner to Causie Lane) 2020
La Grande Route de la Cote (Causie lane to Rue du Pont)  2021

However refer to point D below

D
Growth, Housing and Environment’s Highway Maintenance Section use several criteria for assessing when a road should be resurfaced, including:

a) Highway condition, based on regular visual inspection by the Highway Maintenance section, and independent visual inspection of the highway network every three years (last independent inspection completed in 2016)
b) Available budget
c) Rate of deterioration and the amount of localised patching
d) Planned utility works on the road being considered, for example a section of St. Saviour’s Road planned to be resurfaced in 2018 has been postponed until a decision has been made regarding a major drainage project on the same section of road)
e) Planned utility or other work or traffic management on available diversion routes
f) Planned developments on or adjacent to the road being considered, for example the resurfacing of La Route des Quennevais has been prioritised so that it is complete prior to the opening of the new Les Quennevais School  - if this is not completed prior to the school opening then the available opportunities for traffic management will be significantly reduced
g) Location of the road being considered on the transport network, for example roads adjacent to schools or on major school access routes may be restricted for traffic management purposes to school holiday periods only

The forward resurfacing programme is provisional until the following year’s budget is confirmed. Accordingly, Growth, Housing and Environment maintain a list of potential schemes which is under constant review.

E
Our recent budget expenditure on public highway resurfacing and maintenance, are as follows:

States of Jersey road infrastructure has long been under underinvested. At present, the return period for resurfacing a section of road is approximately 40 years, which infers that roads will need to last for 20 years more than they are designed for.

Based upon condition surveys it has been calculated that approximately £6m per annum for 13 years would be required to address the backlog. Growth, Housing and Environment hope to receive £6.1m funding for investment on public highway resurfacing in 2019.

F
All Utility Companies are required to employ contractors that are approved to undertake construction works on public highways. Contractors who undertake repairs to the public highway are also required to be approved.

Approval is subject to the individual contractors having suitably qualified Supervisors and Operatives who have completed a City & Guilds (or equivalent) Signing, Lighting and Guarding (for non-excavation activities) and Streetworks Supervisor and Streetworks Operative (for excavation activities).

Utility Companies and their appointed Contractors are required to undertake their excavation and ancillary activities in accordance with the Road Works and Events Law (2016), the Department’s Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Main Roads and the New Roads and Streetworks Act 1991 Code of Practice Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways.

The Utility Companies and their appointed Contractors are responsible for ensuring that these standards are met, and are required to guarantee any works in the public highway for three years after their completion; if remedial work is required to the trench (in the case of the trench not passing certain "intervention limits”, or the integrity of the surface material is failing) this will be carried out by the relevant undertaker’s appointed contractor.