Highway maintenance plan

5.1 Inspection categories

The establishment of an effective inspection regime incorporating inspection frequencies, items to be recorded and nature of response supported by an assessment procedure based on risk probability is the key element in addressing the fundamental objectives of the highway maintenance strategy:

• network safety
• network serviceability
• network sustainability.

The regime will be applied systematically and consistently, and a standardised comprehensive recording system will be adopted so that the risk assessment procedure will be clear and transparent. Inspections and surveys will be undertaken under the following categories:

Safety inspections

Regular comprehensive inspections of all highway elements in addition to routine scouting of street lighting and illuminated signs and less frequent specialised inspections of Bridges, Structures and inspections for electrical safety — network safety

Service inspections

Detailed inspections appropriate to the requirements of particular highway elements for network serviceability together with inspections for regulatory purposes for network availability and reliability and less frequent inspections for network integrity — network sustainability

Condition surveys

Surveys to identify deficiencies in the highway fabric, which are likely to affect Network Value — network serviceability and sustainability.

The recording system for inspections and surveys will facilitate analysis such that a holistic view may be taken of maintenance condition and trends related to network characteristics and use.

Customer Enquiries

The system will also provide for recording service requests and complaints or other information from users or other third parties and will include what action or non-action is to be taken.

5.2 Safety inspections

Safety inspections are designed to identify all defects likely to create danger or serious inconvenience to users of the network or the wider community. These defects are sub-divided into two categories:

Category 1 — Category 1 defects are those defects which, following a risk assessment, are deemed to represent a danger or serious inconvenience to the public or which could result in significant damage to property.

Category 2 - All defects identified in safety inspections which are not categorised as Category 1 are automatically classified as Category 2. The commentary in 5.6 is also clearly applicable to defects classed as Category 2.

Safety inspections may identify Serviceability issues which are forwarded for further investigation and prioritisation. The identification of Serviceability issues raised by Highway Inspectors carrying out safety inspections does not suggest that intervention of any kind is required or necessary within any given timescale. Any necessary intervention will be determined by other criteria outside of the safety inspection regime and Highway Inspectors will ensure that all locations are kept safe at all times.

A safety inspection regime comprises the following elements:

• frequency of inspections
• items for inspection
• degree of deficiency
• nature of response.

Safety inspections are to be undertaken at the frequencies detailed hereunder to reflect the relative importance of the feature and the category of road, and shall normally be carried out by trained personnel on foot or from a slow moving vehicle.

The method for carrying out the inspections will be the subject of a risk assessment with the final decision dependent upon the outcome of the assessment. Teams of two operatives will be used where a risk assessment has shown this to be necessary.

Additional safety inspections of specific defects will be required in response to reports or complaints from Cleveland Police, other organisations or the public as a result of major incidents or extreme weather conditions.

All safety inspection records shall include details such as surface conditions etc and any unusual features of the method of inspection. The inspection will include `nil' returns where appropriate and shall contain a review of the hierarchy at the time of the inspection.

Frequencies of Inspection

The 2016 Code of Practice specifies a particular inspection frequency regime as a starting point and, taking account this regime alongside local requirements and parameters for Hartlepool, a modified frequency regime has been developed, shown in column 5 of Table 4 below.

frequencies wherever possible in order that inspections of carriageways and footways can be undertaken together thereby creating economies and improving efficiency. Frequencies for safety inspections are defined in 3.4 and are as follows:

Table 4

Whilst we endeavour to complete all inspections within their allocated period this is not always possible, due to unforeseen circumstances.

The frequencies of inspection tabulated above are consistent within the various categories of the base hierarchy as described in 3.4 above. However, taking into account risk assessments, it is clear that specific local criteria apply in certain circumstances which, because of their very nature and importance, may result in a change in the inspection frequency in those locations.

The factors which we have taken into account in determining whether special criteria apply include:

• access route — school / hospital etc
• special environmental considerations — noise, appearance etc
• special traffic zone — traffic calming etc
• winter service route
• vulnerable users or with special needs — old people's homes etc
• lorry route
• public transport route
• cycle network.
• defect history of locality

All alternatives to the tabulated safety inspection frequencies must be documented within the appropriate system.

Items for Inspection

The list of highway inventory to be observed in a Safety Inspection for possible defects is as follows:

Section B. 4 of the Well-maintained Highways, Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management (October 2016) gives guidance on a schedule of deficiencies to be identified during safety inspections. The list is not exhaustive it is provided as a check list and is modified to suit local parameters.

General Information

Ironworks — This may necessitate repairs to, and the occasional replacement of, all types of gratings, covers, frames and boxes that are the direct responsibility of the highway authority. It may be necessary on occasions to repair or replace items that are the responsibility of other parties if there is a hazard to road users or pedestrians, to make such defects safe and to recover the costs incurred from the other parties.

The majority of covers, gratings and frames are situated in carriageways and footways but those in verges, particularly those verges that are regularly traversed by pedestrians or horses, should not be ignored and the appropriate risk assessed. It may often be difficult to decide whether a cracked or broken item is in real danger of collapse. If in doubt, it should be replaced, irrespective of its position.

Procedures have been agreed through HAUC and standard documentation exists to deal with reports or findings of utility apparatus, which is considered to be dangerous. The procedure entails the Highway Authority notifying by Email the details and location of the defective apparatus under a Section 81 notification, a means for the utility to acknowledge receipt (or refute responsibility if not their apparatus) within an agreed timescale, and the means for the utility to confirm actions taken to make safe the apparatus to the satisfaction of the Highway Authority.

Failure of this procedure in any way by the utility company will result in the Highway Authority acting in default and making safe the location on a rechargeable basis.

Defects in covers and gratings may pose particular danger to pedal and motor cycle users. It should be remembered that their occupancy on a carriageway will not always be limited to the nearside edge.

Highway Drainage — Standing water reduces safety if allowed to accumulate on trafficked surfaces of the highway. The effects of this are readily observable and the correct action should be taken, especially on high speed roads. In winter months a salt bund may be considered to be appropriate where watershed onto a highway cannot be prevented. This can be used as an interim intervention measure to create a saline solution to reduce the risk of ice forming on the carriageway.

Road Markings - To be effective, road markings should not be reduced or obscured by natural erosion and abrasion by chemical spill or by binder fatting particularly following surface dressing.

Signs / Bollards / Lights — Many signs are required to be lit and their legal status is affected if the illumination has faded. Other signs may be left in a dangerous condition after road traffic accidents which may affect other traffic or road users and require attention. Exposed electrical wiring may also pose a problem and must be protected as soon as possible.

Requirements for street lighting relate to safety defects resulting from programmed inspections together with additional inspections which may be required in response to the Emergency Services, the public or resulting from extreme weather conditions.

Particular attention should be paid to damaged or defective lighting equipment since this may constitute an immediate or imminent hazard, especially where vehicular impact has occurred, or where the electrical condition is at fault or exposed. Multiple outages and outages at sensitive locations caused by any event should be considered for high priority action.

Lights and signs must also be checked for obscuration by overgrown trees, hedges etc. Regulatory signs obscured in this way represent a category 1 defect.

Traffic Signals — Modern signal equipment is expected to operate correctly without regular routine adjustments. The requirement of this section is in the event of failure which might otherwise render installations ineffective to bring back the installation on stream in line with the current standards.

Hedges and Trees — This applies to hedges and trees that are the responsibility of the highway authority together with hedges and trees that are the responsibility of others but which affect users of the highway or compromise the integrity of the highway structure.

Inspections can reveal signs of potential danger, such as thinning foliage and unseasonable loss of leaves, dying back of a substantial amount of branches, signs of fungi and bacterial disease. Normal healthy growth of hedges and trees can also give rise to hazardous conditions to road users by causing obstruction to visibility and movement.

Scavenging — This applies to the removal of any objects found within the highway boundary that causes an obstruction or hazard to highway users. Where the litter / debris does not constitute a hazard to highway users it should be treated by the Local Authority under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Spillages likely to cause a hazard and clearances following road traffic accidents under existing service level agreements shall be dealt with by the Emergency Services with the inspector giving assistance where appropriate.

Response Times

The degree of observed deficiency and the nature of response are discussed below under risk assessments and category 1 and 2 defects. However, the categories of response time relating to the specified categories of defect and level of hierarchy are prioritised as follows:

• Priority 1 - those that require a 24 hour response because they represent an imminent hazard.
• Priority 2 (Low) - repair within 28 days
• Priority 2 (High) - repair within 7 days

Service or Sustainability issues with no safety implications.

The presence of electrical equipment relating to street lighting, illuminated signs and bollards, and traffic signals requires special attention to ensure the safety of users and the community and detailed advice is contained in the Well-Lit Highways - Code of Practice for Highways Lighting Management. In addition to highway safety inspections, specialised inspections for electrical safety will also be undertaken at approved frequencies. Electrical testing is currently carried out under a six yearly programme.

5.3 Service inspections

For carriageways, footways, cycle routes, etc, the safety inspection will identify serviceability issues which will be referred for further consideration. This ensures that the network is fully observed in terms of serviceability in line with the current defined hierarchy. For frequencies see clauses 3.2 and 5.2. These inspections when generated from other sources also support safety inspections in that they provide a further opportunity for identifying safety defects.

Service inspections also include inspections for regulatory purposes including NRSWA which relate to network availability and reliability as well as other inspections for network integrity.

Potentially dangerous defects identified during service inspections are to be assessed as being either Category 1 or Category 2 and rectified in accordance with the requirements of 5.6 and 5.7 below. It is likely, however, that the majority of defects identified by service inspections will be of the Category 2 type and repairs effected through either programmed repairs or absorbed into Resurfacing and Reconstruction (R & R) schemes.

The method for carrying out the inspections will need to be the subject of a risk assessment with the final decision dependent upon the outcome of the assessment. Teams of two operatives will be used where the risk assessment has shown this to be necessary, and where appropriate the inspections are to be carried out under traffic management.

The various elements undertaken under the service inspection regimes are:

Carriageways, Footways and Cycle Routes.

The service inspection for this element can be in conjunction with safety inspections and can be incorporated as part of other visual inspections.

Highway Drainage Systems

In general inspection of drainage has proved problematic for a variety of reasons, including inaccurate records of drainage locations, uncertainty of ownership and lack of resources. In order to mitigate some of these problems, the council adopts a risk based approach to identifying the condition of the drainage network.

Embankments and Cuttings / Retaining Structures

Significant embankments, cuttings and retaining structures are being defined and an inspection regime identified based upon the geological characteristics and the potential risk of slippages or rockslides. Service inspection arrangements will be based on specialist geotechnical advice, but should usually be programmed wherever possible to follow periods of heavy rain, severe frost or prolonged dry weather. A risk based approach will be adopted to identify any issues critical to network performance, after which an enhanced service inspection regime should be adopted.

Landscaped Areas and Trees

Highway trees contribute to amenity and nature conservation and in urban areas can enhance the space between buildings, reinforcing the area's character and appeal. Most trees should ideally have an arboricultural inspection every five years but this period may be reduced on the advice of an arboriculturalist. Default intervals is for arboricultural inspections at least every five years.

Fences and Barriers

Steel and wire rope safety fences and pedestrian guard rails should be inspected at regular intervals determined through risk assessment in respect of mounting height, surface protective treatment and structural condition, to ensure that they remain fit for purpose. Where appropriate accredited persons will undertake these inspections.

Traffic Signs and Bollards

The primary objective is to keep all traffic signs legible, visible and effective as far as possible at all times in relation to the road use and traffic speeds. The condition of non-illuminated road signs should be inspected in daylight, and also at night for degradation of colour, retro-reflectivity, deteriorating fittings, legibility distance, and average surface luminance, after cleaning. The frequency is to be determined by risk assessment but will also be a feature of Safety Inspections.

Road Markings and Studs

Inspections in respect of wear, spread, colour, skid resistance and retro reflectivity shall be undertaken for paint markings and for thermoplastic markings, at frequencies determined by risk assessment, Deficiencies in mandatory markings will be considered as a highway safety issue.

Road Traffic Signals and Pedestrian Crossings

Guidance on aspects to be inspected and on defect criteria is given in TD 24/97. For pedestrian crossings, scouting for illumination should be undertaken in conjunction with street lighting night-time inspections, unless otherwise indicated by risk assessment. A regular maintenance policy of between twelve and eighteen months is carried out on all road traffic signals.

Road Lighting

Service inspections of street lighting are not dealt with under the Highways Maintenance Plan, but are covered in a separate document titled 'Street Lighting Maintenance Plan', currently under development, based upon the guidance given in the 'Well Lit Highways —Code of Practice for Road Lighting Management'

Bridges and Structures

Service inspections of bridges and structures are not dealt with under the Highways

Maintenance Plan, but are covered in a separate document titled 'Bridges an Structures Maintenance Plan', based upon the guidance in the 'Management of Highway Structures — A Code of Practice' which is being produced separately.

Network Integrity

Although each element of each component within each category of network hierarchy might be well maintained within the framework of an overall asset management strategy, the network might still not deliver best value, as the asset might not be performing to optimum efficiency. Operational efficiency is primarily a network management consideration but aspects of it are closely related to the maintenance function.

Such network deficiencies are unlikely to be noted as part of safety, or condition inspections, but are nevertheless relevant to network efficiency. It is therefore

suggested that authorities undertake service inspections of network integrity at intervals determined by risk assessment, or by default three to five years, and that the outcome of such surveys be taken account of in planning of network maintenance and improvements. Consideration must also be given to the Traffic Network Management Plan when planning network maintenance and improvements.

5.4 Condition surveys

Condition surveys are undertaken to ascertain information on the nature and severity of carriageway deterioration in order to determine the most appropriate maintenance treatment and hereby ensuring value for money. The frequency of the surveys are shown in 3.2

The survey methods available in Hartlepool include:

• SCANNER (Surface Condition Assessment of the National Network of Roads)

Previously described as TRACS — Type Surveys (TTS). Scanner surveys are automated high speed vehicular surface condition surveys which collect the following data: -

• 3-Dimensional Spatial Co-ordinates
• Road Geometry
• Survey Speed
• Longitudinal Profile
• Wheelpath Rutting
• Texture Profile
• Cracking (both in the wheel paths and for the whole carriageway)

Coarse Visual Inspection (CVI)

Visual survey carried out from a slow moving vehicle or on foot to collect basic defects in accordance with UKPMS requirements on the highway network. CVI surveys are carried out on all adopted roads within the network excluding unsurfaced roads. The survey is also used to target carriageway schemes submitted for the 5 year programme.

Griptester

The griptester is used to measure the in service skid resistance of parts of the hierarchy. Refer to Skid Resistance policy.

Hartlepool’s current condition survey contractor is fully accredited to the new PAS2161 standard (see section 3.2 for more information) which enables Hartlepool Borough Council to produce condition reports using the new 1 to 5 recording technique alongside the, soon to be phased out, red, green and amber method.

5.5 Risk assessments

Risk management comprises two categories of risk, strategic and operational, as described in 2.4 above. Strategic risks are either corporate or departmental and therefore beyond the scope of this plan.

The various corporate risks under the risk management process can be found in the Risk Management Strategy and the departmental risk register.

Operational risks

Operational risks are risks which managers and staff will encounter on a day-to-day basis and may be:

• physical - defects related to network safety or health and safety movement of operatives and staff
• professional - such as the ratio of reactive / programmed maintenance
• financial - such as budgetary control and programme management
• legal - related to possible breaches of legislation
• contractual - associated with the failure of contractors to deliver services to the agreed cost and specification
• technological - relating to reliance on equipment such as gritters
• environmental - relating to noise air pollution or by considerations which compliment existing surroundings.

Insofar as safety inspections and surveys are concerned, only the physical risks are relevant. This occasionally means that intervention for category 1 defects may not always be aesthetically pleasing.

The risks that are applicable to highway safety inspections clearly appertain to the items for inspection as defined in 5.2 above together with the risks inherent to the operatives in undertaking the inspections.

Each item has to be assessed for defect and risk severity, feature and category of hierarchy together with the location risk and then prioritised accordingly. Guidance on this process is contained in the "Hartlepool Council Highway Inspection Manual." The adoption of this manual, together with appropriate training of all inspectors will enable effective risk assessments to be undertaken on site.

5.6 Category 1 defects

Category 1 defects are those defects which, following a risk assessment, are deemed to represent a danger or serious inconvenience to the public or which could result in significant damage to property.

These defects are to be made safe or repaired within 24 hours from the time that the authority first became aware of the defect. Some will require immediate attention as described below.

Whenever category 1 defects are encountered they shall, if reasonably practicable, be corrected, made safe or otherwise protected by the rapid response gang.

When a category 1 defect is identified within a larger area, only that part of the area which meets the criteria for category 1 defects shall be treated as a category 1 defect with the remainder being treated as a category 2 defect, except where this is impractical to do so. Some category 1 defect repairs may be due to the activities of the utilities, which are governed by the requirements of NRSWA. If the reinstatement is still within its guarantee period and is outside its specified tolerances due to settlement, plucking out or other reasons, and within category 1 criteria, any costs incurred in making safe, and or repair, must be recovered from the undertaker and not charged to the highway authority. All costs must be charged in accordance with the Street Works (Recovery of Costs) (England) Regulations 2002. This is to be arranged by reporting all such defects to Hartlepool Borough Council Streetworks Permits Team.

Response times for remedial action are categorised in 5.2 above and for category 1 defects are 24 hours because they represent an immediate hazard. Some defects are potentially so dangerous that immediate action is required. These are defects which due to their nature and location represent a very serious risk to the public such as exposed electrical equipment, collapsed or missing covers or gratings in carriageways or footways, all of which must not be left unattended unless and until adequate barriers, warning signs or cones have been put out.

Items to be inspected for possible defects are defined in 5.2 above and the investigatory levels at which defect risks are to be assessed are specified in 5.8 below. When an investigatory level is reached, the risks appertaining to the requisite item have to be assessed for likely impact and probability from which a risk factor is calculated which will determine the likely course of action. Guidance on risk assessment incorporating impact, probability and risk factors together with resulting recommended remedial action for category 1 defects and priority 1 response is contained in the Risk Register in the "Hartlepool Council Highway Inspection Manual."

The appropriate course of action as determined from the risk assessment must be undertaken within the time limits specified. As some types of defect may be the responsibility of other departments within the organisation or indeed other organisations, the Council must ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to effect these repairs in accordance with the requirements.

5.7 Category 2 defects

All defects identified in safety inspections which are not categorised as Category 1 are automatically classified as Category 2. The commentary in 5.6 above is also clearly applicable to defects classed as Category 2.

Response times for remedial action are specified in 5.2 above, and for Category 2 defects are to repair within either 7 days or 28 days depending upon the severity of the defect.

The investigatory levels for all defects, whether Category 1 or Category 2, are shown in 5.8 below. It is solely the outcome of the risk assessment that defines the category. All other requirements arising out of the Safety Inspections are considered to be Service or Sustainability issues with no safety implications.

5.8 Defect investigatory levels

The investigatory levels for defects arising from safety/service inspections are shown in the following tables.

Carriageway (including Category 1 cycleways)

Pedestrian Crossing (including all uncontrolled designated crossing points)

Footway (including Category 2 cycleways)

Kerbing

Verges (Hard)

Verges (Soft)

Ironwork

Flooding

Drainage

Road Markings

Road Studs (Cats Eyes)

Lighting Columns, Illuminated Signs and Bollards, Traffic Signals, Signal Controlled Pedestrian Crossings

Traffic Signs and Bollards

Safety Fencing, Parapet Walls, Pedestrian Guardrail, Handrails, Boundary Fences and Walls

Trees, Hedges, Shrubs and Noxious Weeds

Bridges, Embankments, Cuttings and Retaining Walls

Highways General

Other Dangers to the Public

In regard to defects specified in the above table, particularly those covered under the `highway general" heading, many are the responsibility of individuals or organisations and not the highway authority. Unless urgent action is required, the Inspector's course of action shall be to pass on the relevant information to the section or department which is responsible for overseeing that particular activity.

In addition there are other works undertaken by third parties, which are clearly their responsibility. It is the responsibility of the Inspector, wherever practicable, to ensure that the third parties are aware of any problem and undertake all necessary remedial action to resolve the problem. If the third party is known and unwilling or unable to rectify the problem, any costs incurred in remedial action shall be recharged to them accordingly

This also applies to private forecourts open to public access. Highway Inspection records should indicate anything considered to be a hazard in such locations and actions taken noted. Records should refer to letters sent, responses received and checks on actions taken. In the event that the land owner fails to take appropriate action or the land is unregistered, Inspectors are required to consider powers available to them under the Highways Act 1980.

5.9 Skid resistance

Policy

The Council's policy on skid resistance aligns current legal requirements, procedures and technology. Working in joint partnership with the Tees Valley Councils, the Skid Resistance Policy is currently undergoing a major overhaul and any changes will be reflected in the following section.