Glasgow pothole repair budget doubled after 'most damaging winter in over a decade'

The budget to repair Glasgow’s roads has doubled to £12m following what the council described as the “most damaging winter in over a decade”.

The local authority said freezing temperatures last December, mixed with persistent heavy rain and traffic volume helped create 7000 potholes in the first two months of 2023 alone.

The £6m budget increase will help repair and maintain nearly 300,000 square metres of road surface in 130 streets, Glasgow City Council said.

Councillor Ruairi Kelly, the city convener for neighbourhood services, said allocating extra funding to road maintenance is the correct approach, given the shift in road condition in recent months.

He said: “The winter is always a challenging time for road maintenance and the combined impact of low temperatures, rain and snow plays havoc with the condition of Glasgow’s roads and footways.

“Now is the time of year we need to catch up on that work.

“As a road user myself I can see what other motorists and cyclists see and I share their frustration at the increase in the number and size of potholes and the need for often significant repairs to damaged surfaces.”

Mr Kelly said Glasgow’s roads have some of the highest usage in Scotland, which leads to more damage and more repairs.

He said: “While we are committed to improving local infrastructure I’ll also be making the case for a funding mechanism which better recognises the national significance of Glasgow’s road network to Scotland’s overall prosperity.”

The funding boost has been reallocated on a temporary basis from the neighbourhood infrastructure improvement fund, which is intended to provide £1m for each of the city’s 23 council wards to spend on local priorities.

The additional funding for roads will be spent on repairs, resurfacing and other interventions such as surface dressing, which help to eliminate cracks in the road surface that are vulnerable to the impact of the weather and traffic.