The Surrey roads where potholes will be fixed with new funding

Surrey County Council (SCC) has laid out its plans to resurface roads and fix potholes in the county as details of reallocated HS2 funding across the Southeast are shared. At least 11 routes will benefit, including in Guildford, Leatherhead, and Redhill.

Surrey is one of 18 areas to enjoy a share of £735 million earmarked for the resurfacing of roads in the region, understood to be received over 11 years. It follows a Government announcement in the second half of 2023 that outlined an £8.3 billion investment to tackle badly surfaced roads and pothole-ridden streets in England.

The Government said its announcement will help put resurfacing spending 'in the hands of local people'. Around £23 million has already been paid to councils in the Southeast and another £23 million will follow in this financial year.

The A24 in Dorking, the A25 in Godstone, and the A23 in South Earlswood are among 30 roads that have already benefited from additional funding, according to SCC. The A320 in Guildford, the A242 in Redhill, and the B2128 in Cranleigh have been chosen for future schemes.

Additional road resurfacing scheduled in 2024 to 2025

As a requirement of the funding, the councils are requires to show how they are using new technology and equipment to tackle potholes. Innovative work to address underlying soil problems behind poor drainage in Surrey, for instance, has been shown to improve the effectiveness of road resurfacing.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said the Government is “on the side of drivers” and spoke of plans to invest £735 million in the Southeast to improve the state of local roads thanks to reallocated HS2 funding. He said: “Alongside this unprecedented funding, which is already being used to improve local roads, we’re making sure residents can hold their local authority to account and see for themselves how the investment will be spent to improve local roads for years to come.”

Head of policy at the RAC, Simon Williams, commented: “It’s very encouraging to see so many local authorities quickly setting out how they’ll use the first tranche of the Government’s reallocated HS2 funding to improve their roads.” He continued: “Drivers will be pleased to see potholes fixed and roads resurfaced, especially as our research shows the poor state of local carriageways is their number one concern.

“We hope councils will also use the extra money to carry out vital surface dressing work which helps prevent cracking in the cold winter months by sealing roads against water ingress. The prime time for this life-extending work is between April and September, so time is of the essence.”

Road resurfacing completed in 2023 to 2024 using additional funding

It is understood that all of the £19.8 billion committed to the northern leg of HS2 will be reinvested in the North, while the £9.8 billion for the Midlands leg will stay in the Midlands. The £6.5 billion saved against the approach at Euston is being spread across every other region in the country, including in the Southeast.

Surrey County Council is one of 18 councils in the Southeast to benefit from the funds and one of 17 to have responded to the DfT’s request to set out its plans. East and West Sussex, Kent, Hampshire, and West Berkshire are among those that have also responded.

The council added that it began what it called “emergency patching” work in summer 2023 after extreme weather in the winter from 2022 to 2023. This was in addition to previously planned and funded works and cost around £3 million.

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