Publication - FOI/EIR release

A737: safety inspections and defect reports: EIR release

Published: 16 July 2018
Topic: Public sector, Transport

Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

FOI reference: FOI/18/01692
Date received: 19 June 2018
Date responded: 13 July 2018

Information requested

'Under the general requirements of the Freedom of Information, I would be grateful if you would provide the following information in relation to the A737 and in particular the section on approach to Clerksbridge roundabout from Beith. I would like this information to consider Scotland Transerv's safety inspections and road classifications in relation to the sections detailed in the "well maintained Highways – Code of Practice" with focus on the legal frame work and inspection assessment recording as detailed contained in Part C section 8 and 9, please provide the following information.

1. Dates of all safety inspections undertaken on the carriageway in the two years prior to the 28th January 2018.

2. Details of all carriageway defects identified during safety inspections in the two years prior to the 28th January 2018.

3. Details of how carriageway safety inspections are undertaken, including whether walked or driven, the speed of the inspection vehicle and the number of persons in the vehicle.

4. The intended frequency of carriageway safety inspections.

5. Details of all complaints and/or enquiries relating to the carriageway, received in the two years prior to the 28th January 2018.

6. The hierarchy classification.

7. The road/section number.

8. The defect intervention criteria adopted in relation to the identification of all categories of carriageway potholes (in other words, this means how they define a pothole as requiring attention).

9. The time period(s) adopted between identification and repair (temporary and permanent) of all categories of carriageway defects.

10. Whether or not the authority has formally adopted all or part of the standards contained within the national code of practice for highways maintenance management.

11. Date on which this defect was repaired after the 28th January 2018.'

Response

I have numbered our response for ease of reference.

1 and 2. Please refer to Annex A of this request which is the Inspection Defect Report which contains details of safety inspections, defects discovered and when defects were repaired.

3, 4, 8, 9. Transport Scotland's approach to the maintenance of the trunk road network is set out in the 4th Generation Term Contract for management and maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network and Road Asset Management Plan. Both documents are available online at;

https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/35900/sw-combi.pdf

Schedule 7: Part 1 of the contract provides an overview of inspections, surveys and defect categories and response times.
Schedule 7: Part 2: Section 2.7 of the contract provides details of inspections and their frequency during winter.
Schedule 7: Part 6: Section 3 of the contract details the inspections and their frequency for Structures.

https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/road-asset-management-plan-for-scottish-trunk-roads-january-2016

Safety inspections are be carried out at frequencies not exceeding seven days. Slip roads and link roads at interchanges are inspected at the same frequency as the associated main carriageway of the trunk road. The inspection vehicle will travel around 40 mph.

Procedures for rectifying defects are categorised as Category 1 and 2 defects. Please see below the definition as per the 4th Generation Term Contract for management and maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network;

Category 1 Defect means a Defect that necessitates prompt attention because it presents:

(i) an immediate or imminent hazard, or

(ii) a risk of rapid structural deterioration to the affected element.

Category 2 Defect means any Defect which is not a Category 1 Defect.

In addition, the following extract is taken from Schedule 7 Part 1 of the 4th Generation Term Contract for Management and Maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network:

2. Defect categories and response times

2.1. Classification of Category 1 and Category 2 Defects

2.1.1. When classifying Category 1 and Category 2 Defects, the Operating Company shall give consideration to the potential impact on all road users including motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, equestrians and disabled users.

2.1.2. The Operating Company shall comply with the provisions of the Transport Scotland Trunk Road Inspection Manual regarding classification of Defects.

2.1.3. The Transport Scotland Trunk Road Inspection Manual is deemed not to contain an exhaustive compendium of Defects. In the absence of a description of a Defect in the Transport Scotland Trunk Road Inspection Manual, the Operating Company shall make the classification from first principles.

The following extract is taken from Schedule 7, Part 1 of the 4th Generation Term Contract for management and maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network and details the timescales for repairing defects:

2.2. Category 1 Defects Response Times

2.2.1. Unless stated otherwise in this Part, Category 1 Defects shall be dealt with by the Operating Company in priority order as stated in paragraph 2.2 of this Part.

2.2.2. The Operating Company's inspection team or initial Incident Response Resources shall make the Category 1 Defect safe when identified. This shall be through executing immediate repairs, removing the hazard or by taking any other measures necessary to protect the public and other users of the Unit.

2.2.3. Where a Category 1 Defect renders a Trunk Road unsafe for road users, the Operating Company shall, under Police instruction or on receipt of an appropriate Order, close the relevant part of the Trunk Road for as short a period as possible while remedial action is undertaken.

2.2.4. Where a Category 1 Defect cannot be repaired immediately or the hazard cannot be removed, the Operating Company shall take action to make the area safe until the required temporary or permanent repairs have been completed.

2.2.5. The temporary or permanent repairs shall be undertaken as soon as possible and no later than:

(i) 06:00 on the day following identification for Category 1 Defects on carriageways, and

(ii) within 24 hours of identification for all other Category 1 Defects.

2.2.6. Where a temporary repair has been carried out, the deferred permanent repair period for the following Defect types shall be:

(i) 28 days for carriageway surface, and

(ii) 56 days for Bridge parapets.

2.2.7. All other Category 1 Defects shall be repaired permanently within the specific period referred to in this Part, or no later than 28 days after identification where no specific period is stated.

In relation to how Transport Scotland identify and assess carriageway defects please refer to page 19 of our Trunk Roads Instruction Manual which is available at Annex B.

5. Please refer to Annex C of this request which contains details of complaints received in relation to this section of road two years prededing the 28 January 2018.

6. Hierarchy Link is 59 and the Hierarchy Score is 2 for all 3 of these sections.

7. The section numbers for this stretch of the A737 are 14355/20, 14355/05, 14335/85.

10. The Scottish Ministers Requirements set out in the 4th Generation Term Contracts are a bespoke set of requirements specific to the management and maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network. The requirements meet or exceed the standards set out in the national codes of practice. The 4th Generation Term Contract for management and maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network can be viewed with the following web link:

http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road/maintenance/operating-companies

11. Please refer to Annex A of this request which details when repairs were completed on this section of the A737.

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