Blitz on worst roads following local people’s nominations

More than 310 miles of Surrey’s roads will be completely overhauled as part of a £100 million county council investment to tackle the root cause of potholes and grow the economy.

Operation Horizon will replace 10% of the county’s highways over the next five years, targeting the worst roads in Surrey.

Many of those roads were nominated by residents at a series of public events held last year. In fact 78% of local people’s nominations form part of the overall scheme.

The work will be spread across Surrey with each district and borough having between 10% and 13% of their worst roads replaced.

John Furey, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: “By investing money in our roads now, we are investing in Surrey’s future prosperity, because good roads reduce delays and help businesses grow.

“Operation Horizon will lead to big improvements with the worst roads being resurfaced or replaced completely. Highways will stay in a good condition for longer, meaning far fewer repairs are needed, less road closures will take place and traffic congestion is reduced.”

Mr Furey added: “We wanted to ensure Surrey residents were involved in this project so we went out and asked them which roads they wanted repaired. We got a great response and most of their suggestions are now part of our plans.”

The £100 million blitz on bad roads has been made possible by:

* An extra £25 million from next year’s council tax rise
* Working with contractor May Gurney and its supply chain to reduce costs by £15 million
* A new five year approach to planning road improvements, meaning more roads can be repaired for less money
* Using new materials which will keep roads smoother for longer and recycling old road materials.

Operation Horizon will also involve employing 12 new apprentices to work both at the county council and in companies along the supply chain.

The draft list of roads is currently being circulated to local committee chairman for final consideration. The final list will be published publicly in April.

ENDS

Media requiring more information can contact Surrey County Council senior media relations officer James Oxley on 0208 541 7259 or at james.oxley@surreycc.gov.uk.

Members of the public looking for information on roads can visit http://www.surreycc.gov.uk or call 03456 009 009.