We are responsible for over 2,500 miles of footpaths (also known as footways) made up of:
- 2,592 miles of bituminous (Tarmac) construction
- 43 miles of block paved
- 54 miles of flagged footways
- 35 miles of concrete footways
To enable a risk-based maintenance strategy for footway maintenance, it is essential that each footway is given a maintenance hierarchy based on its function and use. These hierarchies determine how often a footway is inspected and the timescale for reactive maintenance, such as repairing faults.
There are four hierarchies for footways.
- Hierarchy 1 – footways in the main shopping street and pedestrianised shopping streets in the urban area of a town.
- Hierarchy 2 – footways along main pedestrian routes just outside the main shopping area of towns. Link footways linking main shopping streets with other areas like car parks. Local shopping streets in settlements with 10 or more shops within 100m.
- Hierarchy 3 – footways linking local access footways through urban areas and busy rural footways
- Hierarchy 4 - footways associated with low usage, such as estate roads to the main routes, cul-de-sacs adjacent to local access roads, and rural footways between villages.
Routine inspections
We conduct safety and service inspections of each footway at least once a year.
Our inspection frequencies link to the maintenance hierarchies to ensure footways that are well used are inspected most regularly.
| Hierarchy | Inspection frequency |
|---|---|
| Hierarchy 1 | 12 times per year |
| Hierarchy 2 | 4 times per year |
| Hierarchy 3 and slabbed/modular Hierarchy 4 | 4 times per year |
| Hierarchy 4 | Once per year |
In addition, we carry out condition inspections on all footways on a 5-year rolling programme using the Footway Network Survey. This tells us the condition of each footway is either Functional, Functionally impaired or Structurally impaired. Knowing this enables us to target maintenance effectively.
View our Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan.
Routine maintenance
We treat any weeds that are present:
- on footways and cycle tracks
- in kerb channels (including outlet mouths and gully gratings)
- around all obstructions, street furniture, tree bases, traffic islands
- on the back edge of the footway joining walls
- on all areas of block paved carriageways that are part of the adopted highway
This treatment is carried out to limit the growth of weeds in paved areas where they may otherwise cause structural damage. It is not carried out for aesthetic reasons, as can be the case with open spaces.
We use environmentally friendly but effective herbicides to control weeds. The use of chemical herbicides is carefully controlled by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Within the highway, we can only use non-residual weed killers such as Glyphosate. It has a low toxicity to humans, animals and insects and can be used on areas open to the public and their pets.
We apply the herbicide by a controlled droplet application with the equipment, ensuring drift does not occur. It is not blanket sprayed over footpath areas as the herbicide is only effective when in direct contact with the weeds - on contact with hard surfaces/soil, it breaks down into harmless substances.
Because of this, we don’t spray in areas with no weed growth and ensure that any adjoining grassy areas are not sprayed. This process ensures the amount of chemical used is limited to an absolute minimum. Once the solution has been sprayed, it will take approximately 2-3 weeks to take effect on weeds and their roots.
Treatments start after the emergence of the ‘spring weed flush’ (when weeds begin to grow and before they get the chance to seed). We monitor the forecast as rain within 6 hours of treatment can weaken the solution, reducing its effectiveness.
Similarly, spraying during high winds will reduce the chemical that comes into contact with the weed. Therefore, the date can vary due to the weather, but treatments generally start in mid-April or early May and are completed by the end of September, to spread to adjacent land.
View our weed treatment programme.
Planned maintenance
We analyse all the information from surveys and inspections to determine the best treatment and timing for preventative maintenance repairs.
Preventative maintenance means treating footways before they have substantial failures. This enables us to prevent further deterioration.
Footway micro-asphalt
Footway micro-asphalt is the application of a cold mix bitumen emulsion overlay to a footway surface. Footway micro-asphalt is used to seal a footway surface, preventing water from getting into it. It also improves the texture of the footway and provides a uniform surface preventing holes from forming.
It is a surface treatment and can only be used to repair or improve problems with the footway surface, not the structural layers of construction. Footway micro-asphalt is quick to apply and can be walked on soon after laying, keeping disruption to a minimum.
We use micro-asphalt as a preventative treatment. Treating a footway just before faults occur can prolong its life and prevent the need for more disruptive treatments.
Footway patching
Patches are repairs to small areas of failed footways, replacing one or more of the bituminous (Tarmac) layers of construction.
We can use patching to repair areas where the surface or structural layers of the footway are failing. Depending on the size of the road, patching can be carried out using traffic management but can require a road closure.
We design patching to have a minimum design life of 10 years.
Footway patching and micro-asphalt
Sometimes a footway is mostly suitable for micro-asphalt but has a few areas of failure in the structural layers. We will aim to patch and micro-asphalt these types of issues.
Using a micro-asphalt surface over the patches rather than just patching, we can prevent water from getting into the footway and provide a uniform surface. We may carry out the patching up to a year before the micro-asphalt.
Depending on the size of the adjacent road, patching can be carried out using traffic management - but can require a road closure.
Footway micro-asphalt is quick to lay and can be walked on soon after applying, keeping disruption to a minimum. This treatment will prolong the life of the footway and prevent the need for more disruptive measures.
Footway reconstruction
Reconstruction involves replacing a substantial depth of the footway's bituminous (Tarmac) layers. Reconstruction can be considered when a footway has extensive areas of structural failure.
Where possible, we utilise recycled material such as foam-base bitumen. This is a product manufactured in Lincolnshire from material that has been excavated from other schemes.
This reduces the scheme's carbon footprint by not requiring the excavation and processing of new materials. It also helps the carbon footprint by manufacturing in Lincolnshire and not importing material from out of the county.
While we continuously work to minimise disruption, reconstruction works are extensive construction works and can be disruptive. They will almost always require a road closure to carry out the works safely.
Siding
Siding removes soil and vegetation that grows on or encroaches onto a footway. This often happens where a footway isn't used and is standard on rural footways linking villages.
We carry out siding works that return footways to their full width each winter.