Highways teams keep Norfolk moving during coronavirus pandemic

Alongside the crucial work authorities are doing to look after vulnerable people across Norfolk, the county’s highways teams are ensuring essential infrastructure stays safe. Great care is being taken to ensure highways teams are able to follow the latest guidelines from Public Health England while at work.

Cllr Martin Wilby, Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport, said: “It’s not business as usual, however urgent repairs and essential road, streetlight and traffic light maintenance continues. Norfolk’s highways teams are working to make sure our vital infrastructure doesn’t let us down, either now, or when we come out the other side of the pandemic.

“I’m proud that teams across the county are doing this necessary work to make sure our roads remain safe and accessible for all of us, and particularly for those working in the health and care sector and ambulance, police and fire services.”

In addition to the urgent highway repair and maintenance work still being carried out, two essential maintenance programmes are getting underway in the coming weeks. These surface dressing and grass cutting programmes are carried out between spring and September each year, but have now been adapted to fit with public health guidelines.

Surface dressing sees roads given a new seal to prolong their life and prevent potholes opening-up. From 15 April this work will still be done, but away from urban areas, with the focus on rural parts of the county. Rural areas in North Norfolk will be completed first so they are ready for when people are able to return to Norfolk’s beautiful coastal areas after the lockdown ends.

And to make sure visibility is maintained along the county’s roads the county council’s annual grass cutting programme will be starting on many rural routes in mid-May. The focus will be on essential work in both urban and rural areas to keep the county’s roads safe with particular focus on improving sight lines at corners and junctions.

For more information visit: www.norfolk.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roads/road-maintenance