The Committee will receive an update on the monitoring of highway repairs in the Borough.
Minutes:
The Committee received a briefing note on the inspections undertaken to monitor the public highway. These were:
Planned and ad hoc routine safety highway inspections – There were two categories of safety inspection, proactive and reactive. The majority of safety inspections were proactive and undertaken in a planned way during daylight hours. Inspections were carried out between two and twelve times a year, depending on the footway or carriageway being inspected. i.e. Town centre footways, with a large footfall were inspected monthly, whereas smaller residential street with a lower footfall were inspected six monthly.
The reactive inspections were caused by a report of defect from members of the public, Councillors, Council Officers and the Police. A member asked how long after an inspection would a footpath be repaired. The officer stated that for an emergency repair, the time was 24 working hours, if not the standard policy was 28 days. He added that this sometimes slips, especially during the winter as there are often more repairs needed i.e. potholes.
Planned and ad hoc highway tree inspections – There were some 20,000 trees on the public highway which were the responsibility of the Council. This together with some 40,000-50,000 trees within parks, made a very large work programme of maintenance. Inspections are carried out in accordance to the individual tree species requirements. Larger trees were inspected and pruned every three years, smaller species of tree were inspected and pruned every five years. There were also ad hoc works as a result of storm damage; vehicle damage and disease which may have include specific species related diseases.
Constant monitoring and inspections are carried out throughout the year as officers travel to and from their scheduled inspection areas. All inspections are carried out by a qualified tree officer. There were three Aboricultural Officers and one Tree Preservation Officer. During inspections information such as species, size, condition and appropriate works that are required are programmed into the tree database and passed to the corporate contractor for completion.
New Roads and Street Works Assessment (NRSWA) Inspections – All utility works undertaken within Havering were co-ordinated and checked upon by the Councils NRSWA team. The only exception to this was due to emergency work, where only two hours notice is necessary. If work is scheduled, then the Council can say no to the utility company if they decide to.
Every opening made by the utility is recorded on the database, and once the work is completed and the highway has been reinstated, an onsite inspection is undertaken to ensure that the work carried out is to the necessary standard. These checks ensure that the structural integrity of the public highway has not been compromised by the excavations that have taken place.
Member raised concerns about the pavements in Hornchurch Town Centre as they needed levelling out. The officer present agreed to pass this to Regeneration, who was responsible for the current improvements.
Street Lighting Inspections
The Committee was informed that planned night scouting was carried out every four weeks to check the street lighting. The Councils Maintenance Lighting Contractor carried out planned electrical and structural testing inspections and all results were reported back to the Street Lighting team for action. There was a six year planned structural test programme in place.
The Committee was informed that there were 20,000 lamp columns in the borough. The Council were in the process of removing the 500 cast iron columns and the 2000 concrete columns and replacing these with new columns. There was also a new painting scheme of columns in process.
Officers added that if a lamp column is damage as the result of an accident, the Council would make it safe and install a new column, however they have to inform the utility company to install the electricity, which can take up to 3 months. Officers stated that they want to have an agreement whereby columns are reconnected within 28 days.
Condition surveys
The Committee was advised that condition inspections are made every year of all the footways and carriageways that had been put forward for resurfacing. A clear picture of the areas that are in most need of renewal is established and the resurfacing programme can be finalised. All work that is carried out is inspected by an Area Liaison Officer or Engineer. The local DSO carried out the works. The Committee were also informed of a specialist scanner survey which is undertaken for A, B and C Class roads annually, this shows any defects that are below the surface.
Inspections of Structures
Highway structure (bridges, culverts, retaining walls and subways) was subject to a rolling programme of inspections every 2 years. When a structure is found to be deficient in its load capacity, it is then subject to interim measures which can include temporary works, weight limits and more regular monitoring.