I reported what I believe serious damage to a major dual carriageway to Highways England after it had been ignored and was getting worse for over a year! Their reply beggars belief!
I said:
I am writing to express my utter disgust that several miles of this road have been left in a dangerous condition for nearly a year.
Adding an "uneven road" sign at or near the tarmac delaminating isn’t good enough.
THIS CONDITION OF THIS ROAD IS NOW DANGEROUS
I see many cars swerving back and forth at relative high speed to avoid damaging their cars a bit like the warm up lap of a Grand Prix! There will be a multi car pileup at some point. And people at Highways England will be liable for negligent manslaughter!
There can be no excuse for not repairing this road or why it has taken West Sussex & Highway England so long to do so.
Thank you for your emails of 7 and 11 June 2018 to Highways England Customer Contact Centre about the condition of the A27 from Chichester, Fishbourne Roundabout westbound towards Portsmouth.
A-one+ works on behalf of Highways England and we are responsible for the day to day operation and maintenance of motorways and trunk roads in Kent, Sussex and a small section of Surrey.
Thank you for taking the time to get in touch with your concerns for safety along this stretch of the A27. Please be assured that Highways England and A-one+ as a responsible service provider, are committed to maintaining their road network in a safe and serviceable condition.
You may be aware that resurfacing was carried out to sections of this stretch of the A27 in 2015 and 2016, however the tarmac laid over the existing concrete continues to deteriorate. Recognising that a long term, sustainable solution is required, I’m pleased to advise that we’ve designed a resurfacing programme called ‘A27 Emsworth to Chichester’. The scheme is currently being finalised, with construction planned by the end of the financial year 2018/19. Further information will be available nearer the time, and with your permission, I’d be happy to hold your details and keep you informed.
We’re keeping a close eye on the condition of the A27 and although the worn out sections of tarmac may be unsightly and may influence driver behaviour, the dips are very shallow (less than 22mm deep) and we do not consider them to be dangerous. The carriageway is inspected every 7 days at this location and please note that our inspection on the 6 June 2018 highlighted no safety critical defects. Our next inspection is due on 13 June 2018 (today).
Defects across the Highways England network are categorised by order of the severity and safety implication to the travelling public. Safety defects are attended to and made safe within 24 hours. Service defects are less severe and are further categorised into High or Low priority. Service High defects will aim to be repaired within 6 months, whereas Service Low defects are monitored and placed into future programme of works and bid for funding.
Thank you again for contacting us and for any other queries, please contact the Highways England Customer Contact Centre. They are available 24 hours a day by phone: 0300 123 5000 or by email: info@highwaysengland.co.uk. Alternatively, you can visit the Highways England website at www.highways.gov.uk.
As a valued customer, your opinion matters to us and we can only improve our service if we receive your valued feedback. We’d be grateful if you could take a couple of minutes to tell us on how you found your experience with the customer care team.
.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3NL3VZZ
Kind regards,
Sue Moss
Customer and Stakeholder Liaison Assistant
Working on behalf of Highways England
