Swindon Borough Council says it’s on track to complete more road and pathway repairs this year than in 2024/25 — despite facing a staggering £50 million backlog in highway maintenance and working with a relatively modest £5.75 million annual budget.
Since the start of the financial year, the Council’s highways team has been hard at work improving some of the town’s most used routes. So far, crews have:
-
Resurfaced 10 major roads and 10 minor roads, including Drakes Way and Croft Road
-
Retextured eight roads
-
Patched 187 carriageways and 109 footpaths
-
Fixed more than 8,000 potholes
-
Relined over 330 areas
-
Repaired 800+ pieces of street furniture and kerbing
The Council credits an extra £1.5 million of government funding for helping expand its maintenance programme, supporting resurfacing, pothole repairs, road markings, bridge work, and the replacement of worn street furniture.
As part of efforts to improve repair quality, the highways team has introduced thermal patching, a method that uses heat to fuse new material with existing road surfaces. The result is a stronger, longer-lasting fix — part of a wider move away from short-term patch jobs.
Recent highlights include resurfacing and safety improvements at Drakes Way, Croft Road, and Greenbridge roundabout, retexturing at Kembrey, Cockleberry, and Elgin Drive, and a new pedestrian crossing at Drove Road. Collaborative works with Wales & West Utilities at Devizes Road have also helped reduce disruption for residents and businesses.
Further maintenance is planned during the October half-term, including repairs to a deteriorating footbridge in Abbey Meads.
Councillor Chris Watts, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, praised the progress made so far:
“Our Highways team and contractors have done a fantastic job this year. It’s encouraging to see that we’re on track to beat last year’s figures.
But we know there’s still a lot to do. With a £50m backlog and limited budget, we can’t fix everything overnight. What we can do — and are doing — is making every pound count, focusing on long-lasting repairs that really make a difference.”
Residents can learn more about how repairs are prioritised by visiting the Council’s website: www.swindon.gov.uk.
