With the additional £11 million for roads and pavements in the council budget agreed last February, the council will complete the largest area of road repairs and improvements in one financial year.
The council reports that it will have carried out 420,000 square metres of repairs on roads and 170,000 square metres on pavements during 2023/24.
The pre pandemic averages were 250,000 square metres on roads and 30,000 square metres on pavements.
Examples include Greendykes Road, Waterloo Place and Princes Street along with a section of the A90 Queensferry Road. Other projects which are still ongoing include London Road where pavements will be widened and where segregated cycle lanes are included in the design. There will be new traffic signals, pedestrian crossings and road resurfacing all due to be completed by March 2024.
The main focus for the final quarter of 2023/24 will be pavements, with plans to resurface almost 100 footways in residential streets, amounting to more than 86,000m² of coverage.
The council says that this work has been helped by the Council’s new Pothole Pro machine, which ensures a higher level of quality control and reliable repairs. This machine has now fixed around 8,000 square metres of potholed road surfaces.
Cllr Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “The effect of this additional £11m of capital investment is clear in the numbers – in 2023/24 we’ll improve more square metres of roads and pavements than in any other financial year.
“Of course, concerns around the condition of our roads and pavements remain and are justified, and we’re listening. By significantly increasing the number of improvement schemes we’re working towards a safe, usable network.
“That said, like any other city we continue to work to a tight budget, in the face of increasing labour and material costs. However, this investment, along with prudent planning and delivery of schemes, is helping the situation to improve. The work undertaken in 2023/24 will help get our city back on track, but I am working to ensure we continue investing in roads and footpaths.”
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