Birmingham City Council has approved a new strategy for managing the city's highways following the Department for Transport's decision to discontinue the PFI programme. The council has agreed a two-year contract extension with Kier to maintain roads and deliver services across the network.
The new approach aims to prevent damage to highways where possible and reduce wear and tear. The council states this will be less costly in the longer term and result in better-looking neighbourhoods.
Councillor Rob Grant, cabinet member for transport, said the condition of roads and pavements is a key concern for residents. "Potholes and uneven footpaths not only cause damage and can be dangerous, but they also have a detrimental effect on neighbourhoods," he said.
What the contract covers
The Kier contract covers highways and footways maintenance, emergency repairs, street lighting, drainage and arboriculture works, winter maintenance services, and traffic management. The scale includes more than 2,500km of road, 5,000km of footways, 846 structures, three tunnels, 94,000 street lighting columns and 76,000 highway trees.
LED street lighting upgrade
A £10m scheme to upgrade more than 17,000 street lights to LED has been agreed as part of highways maintenance priorities. The upgrade will reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions and is intended to encourage walking and cycling in the night-time environment.
The programme will replace lighting on key traffic routes as well as on estate roads and footpaths, which typically make up the majority of the start and end of people's journeys.
The strategy was approved by cabinet on 8 September.
