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<p>The Government is providing local highway authorities in England, outside London,
with just over £6 billion for local highways maintenance between 2015 and 2021. This
funding includes a Pothole Action Fund, which totals £296 million between 2016 and
2021 to allow authorities to repair potholes or stop them forming in the first place.</p><p>
</p><p>The Department for Transport announced in January 2017 that it is undertaking
an innovative trial on the way potholes are identified and managed, working in partnership
with Thurrock, York and Wiltshire councils and two private sector SMEs, Soenecs and
Gaist. This trial allows high-definition cameras to be mounted to refuse collection
vehicles and by deploying innovative intelligent software will identify road surface
problems before they become potholes. The trial recently won an award for the best
use of new technology in the highways sector.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also announced
in March 2018 that it is investing more than £900,000 in innovations using connected
vehicles to help councils more efficiently manage and plan maintenance works. These
trials will ultimately help provide councils with data to enable them to repair potholes
before they occur as well as maintain their other assets more effectively as part
of their asset management plans. This will help prevent further potholes and other
road defects occurring over time.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Transport is also
providing funding to the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning
and Transport (ADEPT) to work on technological and innovative improvements to future-proof
the local road network.</p>
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