Highland Council's new rapid road repair team is filling up
A pot hole filling operation for the strath and wider Highlands is moving a step closer to reality with recruitment now under way.
The local authority agreed in March to provide £1.266m of funding for the temporary repair team for 2023/24.
Councillor Ken Gowans, chair of the council's economy and infrastructure committee, said he is looking forward to seeing the teams out on the roads.
He said: “The Rapid Road Repair Team is a cost avoidance measure as delaying repairs normally results in a larger and therefore more costly repair to be undertaken.
“Having this team in place soon will also reduce the number of temporary, repeated repairs required, as they will be undertaking permanent fixes first time around."
“The dedicated team will have a programme of permanent repairs which are prioritised and targeted to alleviate pressure on the network and area teams.
"It will also accelerate our ability to respond and provide a better service to the public.”
The council has said potholes can form over a very short period and the operation of a dedicated team to not only repair defects but monitor them from a central point will allow specific problem areas to be targeted.
The team will run for six months on a trial basis.
Pothole and patching repairs are currently dealt with as part of the council's roads area maintenance workload.
This is in addition to a wide range of other cyclical maintenance tasks including verge maintenance, drainage, the winter service, and emergency responses.
The roads area teams also undertake a significant amount of the road capital works – resurfacing and surface dressing – during the summer period which impacts on their ability to react to pot hole repairs.
During winter, the new staff recruits will be used to supplement services such as gritting.
