EXTREME weather has been blamed for ravaging Barnsley’s road network over the winter - but highways bosses have set out a multi-million pound plan to rectify rising complaints from motorists.
The council’s highways programme for 2023/24 will be signed off on Wednesday, which includes improvements totalling £20.4m.
Worst-hit roads across the borough will be resurfaced, according to a report, which reveals a raft of work identified for Penistone West, Rockingham and Darton West wards in particular.
The proposed programme for the coming financial year continues the council’s ‘prevention is better than the cure’ approach, the report said, in ‘balancing preventative and reactive maintenance to improve the resilience of the highway’.
Council leader Sir Steve Houghton said the winter’s weather had had a detrimental impact on the town’s roads - and admitted the department has a backlog of repairs.
“We have teams working hard to keep on top of emergency pothole repairs, including at weekends,” he added.
“Like every local authority in the country, maintaining our road network is a huge challenge and we have a maintenance backlog.
“Thanks to sustained investment into the network, we are chipping away at that backlog and improving Barnsley’s roads.
“This investment will help make our roads safer and more sustainable and helps us keep Barnsley moving for residents and visitors.”
As part of the investment, a further £700,000 of road safety funding from the Department for Transport - which was granted to the council in 2019 - will be rolled forward into this year’s budget.
Coun Hannah Kitching, who represents Penistone West, welcomed the news but said motorists had complained in their droves - and urged the council to include Towngate on the to-do list.
Sheffield Road, Tennyson Close, Keats Grove, Clarel Street and Shelley Close will all receive work in the ward.
“I have received a huge number of complaints and reported incidents about the state of roads,” she added.
“There are numerous potholes which have been reported many times and filled repeatedly.
“The problem has now gone beyond potholes - the substance used to fill the potholes has all washed out, and now the road is covered with a large amount of loose debris which is creating an additional hazard as well as the reformed potholes.
“I have had other reports of cracked windscreens from flying debris and also damaged wheels.
“Some roads are bus routes, busy routes to primary schools and the main vehicular and pedestrian access in and out of the village.
“I have checked the capital programme and see that the Towngate route is not scheduled for resurfacing.”
