Maintenance on the A75 Trunk Road : EIR release
Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
FOI reference: FOI/18/03766
Date received: 20 December 2018
Date responded: 9 January 2019
Information requested
‘I have been referred to you by Scotland TranServ for the following information relating to the A75 Trunk Road in particular the section between the junction at A751 and the Junction to Commerce Road, Stranraer.
I would be grateful if you could provide the following information;
1. Dates of all safety inspections undertaken on the carriageway since May, 2016
2. Details of all carriageway defects identified during safety inspections since May, 2016
3. Details of how carriageway safety inspections are undertaken, including whether walked or driven, the speed of the inspection vehicle and the number of person in the vehicle
4. The intended frequency of carriageway safety inspections
5. Details of all complaints and/or enquiries relating to the carriageway, received since May, 2016
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
9. The time period(s) adopted between identification and repair (temporary and permanent) of all categories of carriageway defects
10. Whether or not Dumfries & Galloway Council or Scotland TranServ have formally adopted all or part of the standards contained within the national code of practice for highways maintenance management.’
As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.
This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request
Response
1 and 2. Please refer to Annex A, which is the Inspection Defect Report for the location requested. This report details the inspections undertaken and provides details of carriageway defects identified since May 2016.
3, 4, 9 and 10. Transport Scotland’s approach to the maintenance of the trunk road network is set out in the 4th Generation Term Contract (4G) for management and maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network. The 4G contract was developed specifically for the purpose of the management and maintenance of the Trunk Road Network. Elements of the Well Maintained Highways Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management are reflected within 4G, along with other industry guidance and best practise deemed appropriate for the Trunk Road Network. A link to the 4G contract and our Road Aset Mangement Plan (RAMP) are provided below:
- 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.
Safety inspections are carried out at frequencies not exceeding seven days. Slip roads and link roads at interchanges will be inspected at the same frequency as the associated main carriageway of the trunk road. The inspection vehicle will travel around 40 mph.
Where possible safety inspections will be carried out during off-peak traffic periods to minimise traffic disruption.
Safety inspections will be carried out by a team of two. All inspection and safety patrol personnel will be sufficiently responsible and competent for the task, will have received suitable training and be fully conversant with inspection procedures and health and safety requirements prior to undertaking any such inspections.
Detailed inspections are also undertaken on each element of the trunk road asset. These are walked inspections and are typically undertaken on an annual basis (although this can change depending on the particular asset being inspected).
Please see below the definition as per the 4th Generation Term Contract for management and maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network. This definition also explains the associated response times to rectify defects.
"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.
5. Please refer to Annex B of this request which is the complaints record for the location requested since May 2016. An exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exception is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception.
6. The hierarchy classification is 66 with a score of 5.
7. The road section number for the location is 11582/05.
8. Please refer to Annex C of this request which is an extract from the Transport Scotland Trunk Road Inspection Manual which is the defect intervention criteria adopted in relation to the identification of all categories of carriageway potholes.
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