Governments invest in road network and natural disaster resilience

Maintaining England’s road infrastructure

The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has welcomed the UK government’s announcement that it will provide local councils with a total of £168 million in pothole repair and preventive maintenance. Some 148 authorities across England will receive a share of the funds. The government has pledged to invest over £24 billion in upgrading road infrastructure to 2021.

“This significant road investment has been long awaited and is much needed. Money spent on repairing damage never goes as far as money invested in planned, preventative maintenance. It costs at least 20 times more per square metre to fill a pothole than it does to resurface a road. We are particularly glad to note that the Department for Transport is helping out not only those that choose to fill potholes, but those that are more proactive in preventing them forming,” commented Nigel Jackson, Chief Executive of the MPA.

Concrete roads

As previously discussed on worldcement.com, countries such as India and Jamaica are considering greater use of concrete for road repairs and new construction. Various cement associations have highlighted the benefits of concrete roads, which include long lifetimes and lower maintenance.

Investing in resilience against natural disasters

Meanwhile, in the US, President Obama has announced a US$1 billion National Disaster Resilience Competition. Areas that have been affected by natural disasters will be able to compete for funding that will help them to rebuild while also enhancing resilience and making preparations for any incidents of extreme weather in the future. As the announcement from the White House states, the competition will allow affected communities ‘to engage local stakeholders, nongovernmental organizations and the philanthropic sector to protect their own communities from the impacts of climate change by enhancing resilient infrastructure, building on sound science, and deploying innovative approaches to investments’. States affected by Hurricane Sandy will be able to compete for around US$180 million of the funds, while states and local governments impacted by Presidentially-declared major disasters between 2011 and 2013 will be eligible to apply for the remaining US$820 million. As mentioned in a recent blog post, the Portland Cement Association (PCA) has been calling for ‘more robust construction practices that offer greater resistance to natural disasters’. More can be found on the PCA’s ‘Think Harder – Build Stronger’ initiative here.

Edited from various sources by Louise Fordham

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/24062014/governments_invest_in_roads_and_natural_disaster_resilience_403/