Dangerous condition of the A120

For all those who are as angry and fed up as I am with the dangerous condition of the A120 – This is what we are up against – – – Please complain using the contact details provided.

Wed 03/01/2018 15:06
Dear Cllr Henderson

Thank you for your email of 14 December. I understand your concerns for this particular section of road but please be assured that our network is inspected on a weekly basis. If our safety inspectors identify safety critical defects, such as pot holes, these are rectified within 24 hours, ensuring the A120 remains in a safe and operational condition. As you will be aware, we are restricted by budgets and cannot simply deliver these resurfacing schemes sooner, ahead of those areas in more pressing need.

If residents are still contacting you about the condition of the road, please direct them to our Customer Contact Centre where details of the individual issues can be reported and actioned as necessary. The contact number is 0300 123 5000 or they can email info@highwaysengland.co.uk

Your sincerely

14 December 2017 11:18
Dear

I am sorry but I cannot accept that we are going to have to wait until 2019/20 to get something done to deal with the present dangerous condition of the road surface between Wix and Horsley Cross.

Residents are contacting me on a daily basis complaining about the considerable damage to their cars caused by the unacceptable state of disrepair on this section of road.

This road is used by a very large number of heavy goods vehicles on a daily basis arriving and exiting from Harwich International Port, which as you can imagine increases the need for these repairs to be completed as a matter of urgency.

Could you please indicate if there is any possibility of emergency repairs being undertaken as soon as possible.

Kind regards.

Ivan

Subject: FW: Kier response to A120 Ramsey road surface concern (ref: 18413404)
13 December 2017 15:58
Dear Cllr Henderson

Thank you for your email of 23 November to Kier, our maintenance contractor, regarding the A120 road repairs between Ramsey Village and Horsley Cross roundabout. Your enquiry has been passed to me for reply as the Asset Development Administrator for the strategic road network for Suffolk and Essex.

I am sorry that the concerns raised by yourself and your constituents have not been addressed sooner, but I can confirm we have carried out essential drainage repairs at Wix and during 2018 we have a scheme to repair joints and cracks. During 2019/20 we have a scheme to repair the road surface between Horsley Cross roundabout and Wix, which will ensure the road remains operational and safe.

To enable us to make informed decisions when programming future resurfacing works we carry out a rolling programme of mechanical and visual road condition surveys. By adopting this approach, we aim to prioritise our available resources to maintain the network in a safe and serviceable condition, whilst minimising whole life costs. We recognise that in the future larger scale improvements to the road surface will be needed. However, a scheme of this scale is not affordable within our current maintenance allocations. Over the winter we will be undertaking further surveys in order to determine the larger solution for this section of concrete carriageway, as it is important to ensure we have enough data to make an informed decision when developing and prioritising funding for the future works programme.

I understand that this may not be the reply you had hoped for but thank you again for contacting us. If you need anything further, please feel free to contact me or our Customer Contact Centre at info@highwaysengland.co.uk or telephone 0300 123 5000.

We are keen to improve the service we provide and identify where we have done well. To help with this we would be grateful if you could take our short feedback survey by clicking here.

Yours sincerely

: 23/11/2017 15:10 (GMT+00:00)

Subject: Kier response to A120 Ramsey road surface concern (ref: 18413404)

Dear

I have once again been contacted by several members of public asking for an update as to when the repairs to the seriously deteriorating road surface will be carried out.

Could you please respond to this request for information at your earliest convenience.

Kind regards.

Ivan

Date: 24 May 2017 at 12:46:09 BST
To: “cllr.ivan.henderson@essex.gov.uk” <cllr.ivan.henderson@essex.gov.uk>
Subject: Kier response to A120 Ramsey road surface concern (ref: 18413404)
Dear Councillor Henderson

Thank you for contacting Highways England on 6 May 2017 to request an update on previously planned A120 works to restore the road surface between Ramsey Village and Horsley Cross roundabout. Your concern has been passed over to me to respond to, as since ! April 2017 Kier have been working with Highways England across the east to maintain its roads, including the A120 through Essex. Sincere apologies for the delay in replying to you, I am now in a position to be able to provide some feedback.

Having spoken to colleagues who were with Amey earlier this year, I understand that a resurfacing scheme was planned for this location to be achieved in January 2017, but that adverse weather prevented this scheme happening as planned and could not be achieved before April 2017 when Kier took over the maintenance contract for this area.

Since 1 April 2017 as part of our weekly inspections of the network we have been closely monitoring this section of road and taking any interim action on potholes of concern within 24 hours of identification until the planned scheme to restore the road surface at this location can be delivered. I understand that current ongoing works on the A120 at Wix (drainage maintenance), the A12 (Ewell Bridge repairs) plus the A120 between Marks Tey and Marks Farm roundabout (road resurfacing and street lighting restoration) are taking priority over other works required in the area, but the Ramsey area re-surfacing works will be re-scheduled to take place as soon as we are able to during the milder weather this summer. Until that time temporary signs to warn road users of the uneven road surface here will remain in place, so that motorists can adjust their driving according to the current conditions.

Sorry that I am not able to provide an exact date for these works at present, but should you require any further update on this matter, please do contact the Highways England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000 or use the email link here quoting the reference 18413404so that your correspondence can be effectively managed for further reply.