Council committee to be updated on roads asset management
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Aberdeenshire Council's infrastructure services committee will receive an update on the roads asset management for the region at its upcoming meeting.
The report summarises the status of the road assets in terms of size, value and condition and presents a number of investment scenarios for the major road assets.
Councillors on the committee will assess the options at its online meeting on Thursday, November 26.
In the the report that will go before councillors it says: "The options presented and issues raised are in line with the nationally agreed approach to roads asset management and are also designed to assist with the decisions that members require to take in the annual budget-setting process.
"Plans to include highways assets in the financial reporting requirements for local authorities have now been abandoned.
"However, officers have continued to quantify their value. The Depreciated Replacement Cost (DRC) for the main asset groups have been calculated to be as follows: bridges and structures £189,916,000; carriageways £3,725,929,000; footways £200,415,000; street lighting £57,135,000; and traffic signals £647,000.
"This gives a total of £4,172,068,000. By comparison the total value of all other physical assets (heritage assets, assets held for sale, investment properties, and property, plant and equipment excluding roads assets) listed in the council’s accounts for 2019/20 was £1,866,499,000."
The report outlines that £25,250,000 will be needed annually in 2021/22 and 2022/23; and £25,500,000 from 2023/24 onwards to maintain the road assets. The existing allocation is 15,389,000.
The report added: "Looking forward, even pre-Covid 19 spending levels would be insufficient to maintain all our infrastructure assets in their current condition and tough decisions will need to be made regarding prioritisation."
The council is part of SCOTS Roads Asset Management Project whose work includes aims to quantify the value of local roads based on a number of factors.
Aberdeenshire Council is also developing a bridge asset management strategy to prioritise works at current funding levels and identify lower priority routes where the condition of the structures have the potential for restrictions or closure rather than repair.
Councillors will assess a Status and Options Report at the meeting, which outlines a number of investment options and scenarios for each asset and will be considered when making decisions relating to the future management of the road network.
