Emergency road repairs following last winter's adverse weather are now complete with the aid of cash from the Department for Transport (DfT).
In March, Cheshire East Council received a grant of £864,432 from the DfT, as part of a £100 million budget allocated to local authorities where roads had been damaged as a result of freezing temperatures. Cheshire East Council inspected large areas of carriageway, identifying those worst affected by the severe weather, and information from local residents proved vital in establishing which roads needed to be repaired immediately.
As a result, a timetable of repairs was programmed, which have now all taken place, including works on Strawberry Lane and Dean Row Road in Wilmslow.
In addition to the DfT grant-funded repairs, Cheshire East Council has allocated £800,000 within the current financial year, specifically for on-going repairs to roads damaged during the past two severe winters. The works were procured through Cheshire East Council's contractor, BAM Nuttall.
Cheshire East Councillor Rod Menlove, Cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services, said: "There is no doubt last winter's weather resulted in some of the worst damage to Cheshire East roads we have seen in many years. Thankfully, repairs to heavily damaged roads had already taken place prior the arrival of the grant. Almost four miles of road has been repaired.
"The works were carried out with maximum efficiency in mind – for example, roads where 'patch' repairs would not suffice have been completely resurfaced; increasing the lifetime of the road and reducing the cost of repairs in the long-term."
Photos: Dean Row Road, Wilmslow - before and after repairs.
