1.0 What we are responsible for maintaining
Hartlepool Borough Council is responsible for the maintenance 411km of public roads which vary between classified roads (A’s, B’s and C’s) and unclassified roads, the latter of which basically make up the housing estates throughout the town. As new housing estates are introduced within the borough (for example Wynyard developments, Upper/ Middle Warren on the A179) the Council will undergo an adoption process to acquire full maintenance responsibility for the roads and footways that make up these new developments once specific criteria has been met including the condition of the asset. This adoption process can take several years to complete.
The following includes lengths / quantities of the main highway related asset types within the Borough.
- Carriageways – total length 411km
- Footways – total length 598km
- Streetlights – total quantity 14,595
- Surface water gullies – total quantity 21,662
Like most Highway Authorities throughout the country the changing climate with its extreme weather conditions has a marked influence upon the condition of the various assets and the Council factors this in when embarking upon planned work etc. Being a coastal town also leads to accelerated deterioration of assets near to the coast due to the salt air, especially street lighting columns, and awareness of this is vitally important as it affects the lifespan of such assets.