Work set to start on repairing Frodsham’s potholes

WORK is set to start in the Frodsham area next month on repairing potholes identified in local roads.
The work is part of a major project to repair some 800 potholes across Cheshire West and Chester.
It has already started in Northwich and in the week beginning July 10 will start in the Frodsham, Neston and Ellesmere Port areas.
It’s all part of a £278,000 project for road maintenance announced by Cheshire West and Chester Council at the beginning of June.
Cllr Karen Shore, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for Environment, Highways and Transport said: “This funding will allow four additional teams to repair defects across our borough all of which will contribute to making our borough a better place for our residents and visitors.
“The council manages over 2,280 kilometres of carriageway and like authorities across the country we are facing a large challenge with an ageing network and limited budget. Our teams repaired over 7,000 potholes last year and we have fewer outstanding repairs than many other comparable areas.”
Potholes are caused when water seeps through cracks in the road caused by passing vehicles. During periods of extreme cold, the water freezes and expands. The ice thaws and milder weather dries up all the water and creates a hole under the surface of the road. This gets larger every time water seeps into the hole, freezes and expands.
With the base weakened, the weight of traffic causes the road surface to collapse into the hole that was formed from water freezing, expanding and thawing under the surface. A pothole is formed once the road surface has collapsed; wear from traffic then makes the hole bigger.
For further details: Highways improvement programme | Cheshire West and Chester Council