Operation Resilience resists the weather

Thursday, 27 September 2012

Despite 2012 being one of the wettest spring and summer periods on record, around 120 miles of Hampshire's road network and 20 miles of footway have received a new surface treatment or been resurfaced since April as part of the Hampshire County Council's Operation Resilience programme to 'future-proof' Hampshire's roads. As well as the roads, a further 21 footway schemes and eight drainage schemes have also been completed with a further nine footway schemes and two drainage schemes under construction.

Planned maintenance

Now in its second year, Hampshire County Council's 'Operation Resilience' programme is continuing to target 350 separate sites for planned maintenance works on roads and pavements throughout the county. The £17 million annual programme is a long-term investment that represents a shift away from reactive to planned maintenance, an approach which is not only more cost effective but also ensures that roads remain in good condition for longer.

A number of different techniques are used during Operation Resilience work, such as jetpatching and band sealing which makes the road structure more robust and prevents water ingress into the road structure. On pavements micro asphalt is often used which is an efficient material to seal the surface from water ingress and remove surface undulations.

Hampshire residents are already noticing the improvements and comments about the work include:

"...the job was completed overnight without any disturbance at all. It was like Christmas waking up to find a brand new road outside!"

"The contractors could not have been more helpful or co-operative and as far as I am aware no residents were inconvenienced at all. From a resident's point of view (and a council tax payer's), a job well planned and executed."

Councillor Mel Kendal, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Transport and Environment said:

"Hampshire's road network is vital for our local economy and has to cope with future extreme weather conditions and ever increasing traffic. We are committed to improving the roads so they are more resilient and represent good value for money for all road users. This year has been difficult due to the very wet weather weve experienced but we are still on track to deliver our programme to improve Hampshires roads."

• 120 miles of Hampshire's road network have received a new surface treatment or been resurfaced at 278 sites (80% of planned total for the year)
• 20 miles of Hampshire's footways have received a new surface treatment or been resurfaced at 94 sites (66% of planned total for the year)
• 21 footway schemes and 8 drainage schemes have been completed
• A further 9 footway schemes and 2 drainage under construction

• Operation Resilience - Investing in Hampshire's Roads

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