Listed: The major Staffordshire roads earmarked for repairs over next three years

Staffordshire County Council’s new highways and transport programme for the period up to 2027 includes 34 planned major repairs on ‘life expired roads’, with a further nine schemes set to be brought forward if more government funding is provided.

Some of the biggest schemes include the £1.6 million Gaol Square and Chell Road project in Stafford and £1.9 million of works to Knutton Lane roundabout in Newcastle, scheduled to take place between 2025 and 2027. A £3.8 million scheme at Cellarhead crossroads in the Staffordshire Moorlands is among those on the ‘reserve’ list for 2025/26 and 2026/27.

The programme, which is due to be approved by cabinet members on Wednesday, will see a total of £53.1 million spent on major projects, smaller road schemes and general maintenance in 2024/25. This total include £31.7 million from government and £21.4 million from the county council itself.

Councillor David Williams, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Our huge road network is vitally important for those who live and work in our county, but keeping it in a good state of repair is an ongoing and costly challenge. This is why we will be investing more money into repairing major roads, vital local improvements, and general road maintenance. This investment will allow us to repair and maintain more roads, and keep our network in a good state of repair for residents and commuters.”

In addition to the major structural repairs, the council is also planning to spend £22.6 million carrying out preventative treatment at 461 sites across the county in the coming year, totalling 1.5 million square metres of road surface.

According to the cabinet report, surface dressing is a ‘time proven solution’ to seal road surfaces and improve skid resistance of roads.

Department for Transport funding for capital highways projects in Staffordshire in 2024/25 includes £13.9 million from the ‘highways maintenance block’ and another £3.4 million from the ‘integrated transport block’. There is also £3.2 million of Network North investment, which the government has presented as funds freed up through the cancellation of the HS2 project.

Dave Jones, Labour group leader on Newcastle Borough Council, welcomed the investment in Staffordshire’s roads but believes the county council needs to do more to hold highways contractor Amey to account.

He said: “It’s commendable that they’re going to be spending £50 million, but I don’t think things are going to get better in Staffordshire until the county council gets to grips with Amey. When they carry out pothole repairs they usually need to be done again a year or two later, whereas proper resurfacing will last.

“When I was a county councillor I had resurfacing work done in Knutton in 2017, and it’s still immaculate to this day, but potholes that were repaired in Silverdale have needed doing again since then. I’ve had residents come to me saying that potholes have been repaired in their street but they’ve not been properly sealed.”

Here is a list of the major structural maintenance projects the county council is planning over the next three years:

Programmed for 2024/25

Beecroft roundabout, Cannock – £275,000

Brownhills Road, Norton Canes – £585,000

Derby Road, Burton – £1,250,000

Newton Road, Burton – £585,000

Birmingham Road, Lichfield – £1,150,000

Lichfield Road, Lichfield – £360,000

Meadows Way, Biddulph – £865,000

Buxton Road, Leek – 360,000

Tape Street, Cheadle – £180,000

Higherland, Newcastle – £285,000

Brook Lane, Newcastle – £580,000

Lower Milehouse Lane, Cross Heath – £517,500

Wolverhampton Road, Himley – £860,000

Elliotts Lane / Watery Lane, Codsall – £306,000

Radford Bank, Stafford – £1,490,000

Weeping Cross junction, Stafford – £490,000

Queensville roundabout, Stafford – £675,000

Lichfield Road, Stafford £755,000

Windmill Hill, Meir Heath – £450,000

Gaol Square & Chell Road, Stafford – £1,575,000

Upper Gungate / Aldergate, Tamworth – £1,115,000

Coton Lane, Tamworth – £1,665,000

Horninglow Road North, Burton – £645,000

Horninglow St / Guild St junction, Burton – £265,000

Proposed for 2025/26 and 2026/27

Weston Road, Stafford – £850,000

Cheadle Rd / Main Rd, Wetley Rocks – £1,630,000

Station Road, Stafford – £510,000

Coleshill Street, Fazeley – £1,590,000

Wolverhampton Road, Codsall – £630,000

Derby Road (Phase 2), Burton- £1,660,000

Knutton Lane/A52 Ryecroft Roundabout, Newcastle – £1,920,000

Lichfield Road, Kings Bromley – £370,000

Walsall Road, Norton Canes – £670,000

Dimsdale Parade West, Newcastle – £440,000

Reserve list for 2025/26 to 2026/17 (if additional government funding is provided)

Uxbridge Street Crossroad, Hednesford – £720,000

Upper St John Street, Lichfield – £1,300,000

Stourbridge Road Junction, Himley – £1,200,000

Queensway roundabout / Wolverhampton Rd gyratory &

Asda link, Stafford – £1,990,000

Leek Road / Kingsley Road, Cellarhead – £3,770,000

Macclesfield Road, Leek – £900,000

Derby Road / Town Meadows Way, Uttoxeter – £1,260,000

Western Springs Road, Rugeley – £4,240,000

Stafford Road, Huntington – £1,200,000