KENT NEWS:
Additional work to tackle potholes in Kent's roads will start in April.
Kent County Counci announced this morning that it is inviting businesses in the county to tender for the repair work.
Contracts will be on the South East Business Portal www.businessportal.southeastiep.gov.uk.
And to ensure that local companies are aware of the opportunity, there will be widespread coverage in the media calling for small and medium sized companies to bid for one of a number contracts to ‘find and fix’ the holes.
Today's announcement foollows one of the toughest winters for two decades on our roads forcing the council to pledge an extra £1 million for repairs.
KCC leader Paul Carter said: “We want to get on with the job of tackling Kent’s potholes and fast. I recently announced that we are making available at least £1 million additional funds for this. If needed more will be found.
“We also want to back small and medium sized businesses in the current economic downturn. That is why we are opening this up to small and medium sized businesses, to bid for this work and do a quality find and fix repair on the remaining Kent road network.”
Mr Carter added: “We have already fixed more than 10,000 potholes and more now needs to be done, and when we have the new contractors on board, the blitz can begin in earnest.”
When signed up, it is expected that this new workforce will be on Kent’s roads by mid April.
Kent Highway Services is responsible for more than 5,000 miles of roads and 4,000 miles of pavements, one of the country’s largest road networks.
The Highways Agency looks after motorways and trunk roads like the A21.
The annual pothole repair budget is £3million and an extra £576,000 had already been set aside for work this year. Kent County Council Leader Paul Carter announced in January that an additional £1million-plus would be made available for further work.
At the height of last year’s pothole campaign, Kent Highway Services used 66 crews. They were repairing up to 3,000 potholes a week.
POSTED: 22/02/2010 15:45:00
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