You said improving Warwickshire's roads matters. Here's what we've been doing.
When Warwickshire County Council asked residents what matters most for the future of the county, one of the messages that came through clearly was: Keeping Warwickshire Moving Matters.
Watch our Keeping Warwickshire Moving Matters video on YouTube Shorts.
As part of the engagement for our new Council Plan, Recalibrating Warwickshire, residents told us that maintaining roads, tackling potholes, improving drainage and keeping people moving safely around the county were all priorities.
In response, Warwickshire County Council has continued to invest significantly in maintaining and improving the county's highways network.
Warwickshire's road network plays a vital role in everyday life, connecting people to jobs, schools, healthcare, local businesses and communities. Keeping those connections moving remains a key priority for the Council.
Over the past year, the Council has delivered a substantial programme of highway maintenance and improvement works across Warwickshire, including:
- 32km of carriageway resurfacing
- 12km of footway resurfacing
- 121km of surface dressing to extend the life of roads
- 84,719 gully cleanses to help reduce drainage issues and flooding
- 10 capital drainage improvement schemes
- 29 highway structure repairs
- Refurbishment of major traffic signal junctions and pedestrian crossings across the county
Alongside these improvements the Council introduced a new highways maintenance contract, awarded in May, that uses technology to help identify issues earlier and focuses more on preventing problems before they become bigger and more expensive to fix. This is designed to improve efficiency and deliver better value for money.
The contract places a stronger focus on preventative maintenance, helping to address issues before they become more costly problems. This planned, preventative approach is already delivering results - since the introduction of the new contract, the proportion of Warwickshire's A roads classified as being in good ("green") condition has increased from 71.5% to 74.9%, while the proportion of B and C roads in good condition has increased from 66.9% to 70.2%.
These improvements demonstrate how investing in the right maintenance at the right time can help keep roads in better condition for longer, reducing the need for more extensive repairs in the future. This approach supports the Council's ambition to invest wisely and keep Warwickshire's highways network in the best possible condition for the future.
Councillor Stephen Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, said:
"Through our Recalibrating Warwickshire engagement, residents told us clearly that maintaining and improving our roads is important to them.
"Residents rightly expect roads to be well maintained, and we recognise that issues such as potholes remain a concern for many people across Warwickshire. With a network as large and heavily used as ours, factors such as weather conditions, water damage and everyday wear and tear mean potholes will continue to develop.
"That's why we're focused on investing wisely, using technology to identify problems earlier, targeting resources where they will have the greatest impact, and increasing preventative maintenance to help stop issues from becoming larger and more costly repairs.
"We're already seeing the benefits of this approach. Since the introduction of our new highways maintenance contract, the percentage of roads in good condition has increased across both our A road network and our B and C roads. That's the planned and preventative approach in action - intervening earlier, making smarter investment decisions and helping to preserve the condition of our roads for the long term.
"Whether it's repairing roads, improving drainage, maintaining structures or helping communities travel safely throughout the year, our aim is to keep Warwickshire moving."
Residents also play an important role in helping the Council identify issues across the highway network. Warwickshire County Council is encouraging people to continue using its online Report It service to report potholes, drainage issues, damaged signs, faulty streetlights and other highway concerns.
These reports help highways teams understand where problems exist and prioritise maintenance activity where it is needed most.
The Council is also making it easier for residents to stay informed about roadworks through the online roadworks map, which provides information about current and planned works across Warwickshire and allows users to sign up for alerts about activity in their area.
Looking ahead to the winter months, Warwickshire's highways teams are once again preparing to keep roads safe and accessible. More than 14,000 tonnes of salt are stored across county depots, with a dedicated fleet of gritters ready to respond when temperatures fall.
This work forms part of Warwickshire County Council's commitment to delivering the services residents tell us matter most, ensuring the county's roads remain safe, reliable and resilient for everyone who uses them.