The roads in Kent and Medway set for multi-million pound funding for pothole blitz

The roads in Kent set to benefit from a multi-million pound pothole blitz have been revealed.

Kent County Council (KCC) and Medway Council have today unveiled which routes will get a chunk of reallocated government cash for road repairs.

A total of £8.6 million from the Department for Transport (DfT) will be spent between March and October this year.

The financial boost is on top of around £50 million already pledged in KCC’s own road and footway planned maintenance budget.

It comes as last November, the government announced an £8.3 billion investment to tackle badly surfaced roads and pothole-ridden streets across England, with the South East receiving £735 million over 11 years from money reallocated from the now scrapped northern leg of the HS2 high-speed rail line.

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Councils in the south east have already been paid more than £23 million, with another £23 million following in this financial year.

But, as a condition of this funding to make sure money is being spent on pothole repairs, local authorities are being asked to publish a two-year plan detailing exactly which roads will benefit.

Today (April 10), residents in Kent and Medway can check online to find out if roads near them will get a share of the cash.

Speaking last month, Neil Baker KCC’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Between April and December 2023 we repaired 54,814 potholes and mended or resurfaced more than 416,991m2 of road, which is equivalent to 57 Wembley football pitches.”

“Kent’s roads are among the busiest in the country, which is why throughout the winter we have been responding to reports of potholes by completing emergency repairs where defects present a risk to safety.

“With the weather improving we are turning our attention to completing permanent fixes the first time we visit the site, so the travelling public can be confident that repairs will last.”

Roads Minister, Guy Opperman added: “Motorists and road users in Kent deserve safe, modern and smooth roads they can rely on. That’s why it’s great to see KCC making the most of the additional funding from the Government to tackle road defects and speed up journeys.

“As we continue to put drivers back in the driving seat, the £135 million of additional funding we are providing over the next 11 years will help ensure that more and more roads all across Kent can be resurfaced.”