Pothole purge hailed a Tarmac triumph in Middlesbrough
A MAJOR town-wide drive to clean up Middlesbrough’s pothole menace has been hailed a major success.
And Council chiefs have pledged to keep on top of the perennial problem following one of the biggest highway repair operations in the town’s history.
The 20-week initiative – spearheaded by Middlesbrough Deputy Mayor Antony High – was launched in June in a bid to rid the town’s streets of the scourge of motorists and cyclists.
The programme – the first of its kind in Middlesbrough – saw repairs carried out in every one of town’s 20 wards.
During the five-month blitz, the repair teams:
- Repaired a total of 5,350 defects – equating to 26,750 individual potholes.
- Laid 1,425.5 tonnes of tarmac.
- Completed 13,898m² of patches, with a further 17,663m² of carriageway surfacing carried out by the Council’s main contractor.
Over the coming months the teams will turn their focus to the winter response, while repairs to A and B road defects picked up during the 20-week drive will be added to the forthcoming repair programme from April next year.
Deputy Mayor Antony High said: “Potholes are a nightmare for motorists and cyclists, causing untold misery, damage and disruption, not to mention the cost of repairs.
“That’s why we decided to tackle the problem head-on, with a systematic and ambitious approach right across the town.
“The teams have done a brilliant job and I know it’s been massively appreciated by road users from across Middlesbrough and beyond.
“We’ll never eradicate the problem, but this gives us a great foundation to build on for the future.”
Councillor Dennis McCabe, Executive member for Environment, added: “This is a great initiative and just the sort of thing the public have been crying out for.
“Roads across the town are in a much better state, and that will make them easier to maintain and repair in the future.
“Hats off to the crews who’ve done such a fantastic job – this is high quality, lasting work that will benefit Middlesbrough for years to come.”
