Devon County Council is planning on investing an extra £10 million into repairing the county's roads this year. The proposal is due to go before our Cabinet on Wednesday 8 May, in response to recent budget discussions for additional investment in highways, including drainage.
This additional funding will be made possible thanks to a settlement from the Government last month to help tackle our overspend on education for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
DCC is now in a position to make extra money available for road repairs and drainage and will be looking to invest another £10 million into the highway maintenance budget. The proposed additional £10 million funding will be spent across the county with £7.25 million on extensive patching repairs targeting issues identified by highways officers, County Councillors, town and parish councils and communities. It will also pay for £2 million of drainage improvements and £750,000 will be added to the ongoing road marking replacement programme.
Should the proposed additional £10 million be backed by Cabinet next month, DCC's highway maintenance budget for this financial year will stand at over £72 million. As well as road maintenance this also covers bridge repairs, streetlight replacement and upgrading, road safety improvements, and maintenance of public rights of way and multi-use trails.