Work set to start on peat road repair trial

Construction work on a trial aimed at tackling a council's £500m repair backlog on soil-affected roads will begin next week.

Cambridgeshire County Council has claimed roads built on peat can cost four times as much to repair as standard roads, and about 1,800km (1,118 miles) of the county is covered by weak soil.

After a £1.5m grant from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), the council said work on the B1099 Upwell Road in March would begin on Monday, lasting until September.

It said the project would use "innovative repair techniques... including deep soil mixing, chemical stabilisation and the use of alternative lightweight materials to strengthen road foundations".

About 40% of the county is underlain by peat soil, which the authority said was "prone to movement and settlement, causing roads to crack, sink and deteriorate more quickly than those built on more stable ground conditions".

The council said it had been working with Winvic Construction Ltd to trial new maintenance methods, hoping to find "longer-lasting and more cost-effective solutions that improve road condition, reduce the need for repeat repairs and minimise disruption for residents".

As well as the trial work near the junction with the B1098 the council said it would also be resurfacing a section of Upwell Road from the roundabout with Cavalry Drive to Binimoor Road.

The works are set to go on until 1 September, running Monday to Friday with full road closures in place between 08:00 and 18:00.

Alex Beckett, the Liberal Democrat chair of the Highways and Transport Committee said: "Peat-affected roads are one of our biggest challenges, particularly across Fenland.

"This trial will properly test three different techniques on the same road, monitored over time, to find what works best on cost and longevity.

"We'll be learning from this and taking that evidence directly to government to make the case for a fairer funding settlement that reflects the unique challenges we face."

Paul Bristow, the Conservative mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: "Getting Cambridgeshire and Peterborough moving means investing in infrastructure that is resilient and fit for the future.

"By finding better solutions for roads affected by peat soils, we can reduce disruption, improve reliability and make the most of available funding by investing in approaches that deliver long-term results."

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