PROLONGED pressure by Alton Town Council on Hampshire County CouncilÕs highways department seems to have finally paid dividends, as work on AltonÕs roads has been scheduled for March of this year.
The subject has repeatedly been a topic of discussion at meetings of the town council, and repeated requests for some sort of action by Hampshire County Council have at last been answered.
Many will be pleased to hear that the Crown Hill section of Alton High Street, an area that has been the subject of much local criticism in recent months, is to be resurfaced.
Assistant town clerk Greg Burt met with the county councilÕs chief engineer, Colin Taylor, on December 19, to assess the roads around the town and identify those which need attention.
The areas of concern have now been identified, and have been prioritised according to the severity of the various problems.
Mr Taylor said: ÒFollowing my site visit with Mr Burt, the area of carriageway next to the Somerfield supermarket that gives access to the Ladyplace Car Park, and the Crown Hill section of the High Street, have both been added to the countyÕs resurfacing programme. The work is being planned for March, subject to weather conditions.
ÒAs the county council sees it at the moment, there is currently a projected backlog of £75 million for highway maintenance in Hampshire. This is partly due to funds being used to rectify flood damage, and partly because of the introduction of the governmentÕs 10-year plan for the improvement of the highways network.
ÒHampshire County Council has been very good in directing funds to the programme, and has been putting more into highway maintenance than many other county councils.Ò