£11m to fix Nottingham roads most in need of repair

Repairs are needed to many of Nottinghamshire's roads (Stock photo)
By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter

Just over £11m will be spent improving Nottingham’s roads and pavements.

Councillors said the money would be used to target the roads people have most complained about as Nottingham City Council approved the spending on Tuesday (June 9).

Part of the spending comes from the Streets for People programme. This involves £5.8m for new carriageways, pothole patching and safety improvements across the city.

It aims to make pavements and walkways safer, particularly for people with poor mobility, and improve traffic problems by repairing roads and cycle paths.

The money has been allocated by the government through the Local Transport Plan.

Every Nottingham ward will receive a share of the cash, with extra funding going to the most deprived areas.

On top of this, a total of £5.6m in highway maintenance works spending has also been signed, with the resurfacing of Nuthall Road between Western Boulevard and Llanberis Grove the most expensive item at £1.1m.

The full length of Arleston Drive (£490,000) and Queens Drive from Tottle Road to Crossgate Drive (£520,000) will also be resurfaced.

The spending had already been approved in the council’s budget for 2024/25, and was allocated at a meeting of the council’s Commissioning and Procurement Executive Committee.

Chair Councillor Linda Woodings (Lab) said: “I am pleased to see this work, these are exactly the roads that should be picked.

“I nearly went flying on Nuthall Road recently when I hit a pothole on the junction. The five roads in my Basford ward are all ones that people mention to me.”

She added: “It’s really important for personal safety and people’s cars that dangerous roads are fixed. Not everyone has money to cough up for suspension if it’s damaged.”

Chris Keane, the council’s Head of Highways, said he understood frustration when people didn’t see major roads improved.

“Full reconstruction is very expensive and the money doesn’t go far. Instead, we take maintenance measures to prolong the life of roads,” he told the meeting.

“Sometimes people think they’re getting a shiny new road and are disappointed when they’re not, but the roads will be safe.”

The meeting heard hopes that there would be a third round of the Streets For People programme at some point in the future.