Resurfacing of St Anne's Close Sleaford - Decision Making and Repair Materials - Find a freedom of information request

I have a couple of further questions that follow on from my original question but not linked directly.

1) How are road repairs/resurfacing work decisions made regarding where is prioritised

2) In relation to pothole repairs, how come the methods or materials used are really not fit for purpose? I'm no civil engineer but I remember a time when work was carried out on tarmac the hole was filled and 'sealed' with black tar/bitumen, presumably preventing moisture getting in and undoing the work

3) Why is this no longer the case? My reasons for asking these questions and the relation to my information request 904490 on St Anne's Close are as follows. One of the busiest pieces of road in Sleaford is from the Tesco junction to the junction of Clayberg Drive (perhaps 200 yards). This stretch has been blighted with potholes for several years (not on its own I know). Last year at some point some 'repairs' were made to some but sadly didn't last very long. So back to my questions, why was St Anne's Close which serves 14 dwellings in a Cul de Sac given a full resurface when the above mentioned section (I'm sure there are other more deserving projects too) would benefit on a much bigger scale? I admit that the 31k used for St Anne's would probably have needed to double maybe even treble to resurface the area mentioned but surely 'bang for buck' would have been a far greater use of money.

1. Lincolnshire County Council like all local highway authorities work to an Asset Management Strategy. Details of all our highway policies and plans can be found on the Council's website https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/directory/34/policies-strategies-andplans/category/20

2. The works carried out and materials used are fit for purpose. Pothole repairs are undertaken to make the highway safe; they are not intended to provide a long term solution. This is undertaken by major patching works.

3. This authority does not use sealant around edges or works, and has not for a number of years, as this shown to present a risk to cyclists and motorcyclists due to the smooth nature of this sealant. Major roads such as the Tesco junction will require a major resurfacing scheme. In terms of St Anne's Close we allocated a certain amount from our budget based on our deterioration models to repair residential streets each year. St Anne's was actually totally reconstructed in terms of its bituminous layers and should now last 20+ years before any major works are required. Therefore, these types of works are highly cost effective to undertake, when LCC consider the whole life costs in accordance with the asset management principles.