Highways improvements will be carried out across Peterborough to help repair road surfaces which have deteriorated due to extreme weather.
Cabinet members today approved plans to award a works order of £1 million to the authority’s highways partner, M Group, to carry out a series of jobs aimed at treating roads across the council’s area.
Funds for this project were approved as part of the council’s budget for 2026/27, with £1 million allocated to repair roads that have suffered from the effects of drier winters and warmer summers in recent years.
Councillor Angus Ellis, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “Extreme weather is having a major effect on the condition of our highway surfaces. The biggest impact is on our rural road network where extremely dry conditions cause large cracks in the road surface. Over time the cracks become wider and deeper and gradually the road surface starts to fall away from the centre of the carriageway.
“It is vitally important that we act now and by agreeing this positive programme of works, we will help ensure that our highways are in an excellent condition for all road users and prevent key routes having to close in future.”
Extreme weather can damage road surfaces in several ways. Prolonged high temperatures cause the bitumen in traditional asphalt surfaces to soften. When it cools, the stressed tarmac becomes brittle, leaving it more vulnerable to winter cracking.
M Group have successfully completed several major schemes for the council since 2013 and their positive performance resulted in a five-year contract extension in October 2023.
You can read the Cabinet meeting agenda on the council’s website.