Carmarthenshire councils count cost of road repair

Pothole repairs are one approach, which also reduces the number of  insurance claims from frustrated motorists.

Carmarthenshire Council fixed more potholes in 2021-22 than in previous years, but still considerably fewer than Swansea Council did.

Carmarthenshire repaired 2,310 potholes compared to Swansea’s 4,280, although one reason might be that the former’s roads were in a better condition to start with.

Swansea Council has also consistently resurfaced more kilometres of road than its neighbour to the west in recent years, despite maintaining a shorter road network.

Figures released to the Local Democracy Reporting Service showed Swansea Council resurfaced or dressed 266km of road over the last financial years, more than double Carmarthenshire’s 114km total.

One section of road which has required a lot of work in Carmarthenshire due to storm damage and instability issues is the A484 between Bronwydd and Rhos.

This work has cost £1.94 million over the last five years, which included damage caused by Storm Callum in October 2018.

Swansea Council maintains around 1,100km of road and 1,500km of pavements.

It spent £783,000 repairing potholes in 2021-22, and receives 60 to 80-odd damage claims from motorists on average per year.

Maintaining roads is one of many council responsibilities

Highway departments produce road repair programmes over a long period, which are designed partly to reduce maintenance backlogs.

Defect categories and response times to rectify them can be set out in highway asset management plans.

Resurfacing priorities in Swansea are dictated by a road’s importance to the network and use by buses, as well its condition.

The council’s website said: “We are often questioned on why a particular road is chosen, particularly where a resident believes their road is in worse condition.

“Structural condition is not always the same as aesthetic condition and sometimes a road that is a patchwork of repairs may be structurally sound.”