Our asset management approach to maintenance
Current approach to asset management and highway maintenance
East Sussex County Council’s approach to highway asset management is set out in our Highway Asset Management Strategy. It emphasises a risk based, data driven methodology to maintain and enhance the county’s road infrastructure where possible. This strategy aims to optimise the use of available resources, ensuring safety, sustainability and value for money.
Key components:
- Risk-based maintenance – prioritising maintenance activities based on the likelihood of and impact of asset failures, focusing resources on areas where they are most needed to prevent deterioration and ensure safety.
- Resilient network identification – this is a network of critical routes, essential for economic activity and access to key services. This network receives prioritised maintenance to ensure functionality during adverse conditions.
- Lifecycle planning – by considering the entire lifespan of highway assets, the strategy supports timely interventions that extend asset life and reduce long term costs.
- Performance monitoring – regular assessments and surveys, such as SCANNER inform the condition of the network, guiding maintenance decisions and investment planning.
- Stakeholder engagement – our strategy involves collaboration with stakeholders, including local communities and transport partners, to ensure we align maintenance activities with user needs and expectations.
What we are doing to follow best practice and deliver innovation efficiency
We keep up to date with best practice guidance and regularly review our policies and approach to maintenance.
We continually seek to improve through innovation and technology including:
- Having an Innovation Lead who coordinates innovations and assesses new technologies.
- Holding quarterly Continuous Improvement and Innovation groups that explore various workstreams.
- Sharing information and learning around systems, processes and products across the business and with other local authorities.
- Belonging to the South East Local Councils Roads Innovations Group.
- Participating in a Materials Forum to explore new materials.
For example, recently we have started using drones for structural inspections of bridges.
What we are doing to reduce disruption from streetworks
We coordinate streetworks to ensure that all works are planned and coordinated effectively and disruption is minimised.
Permit scheme
East Sussex Highways run a roadworks permit scheme to coordinate all roadworks carried out by the council and others. This helps us to:
- reduce disruption to communities and road users,
- check that work has been completed to a good standard, and
- encourage better practices.
We can issue fines for breaking permit rules or for working without a permit.
Coordinating works
All organisations who carry out roadworks plan ahead up to four years in advance so that work on the highway can be coordinated. Regular meetings with regional highway and utility committees take place to help ensure smooth collaboration.
We can also stop newly repaired roads from being dug up soon after maintenance work is done. This is a Section 58 restriction under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.
It stops utility companies from digging up the road:
- for 3 years after full reconstruction, or
- for 2 years after resurfacing.
The only exception is if there is an emergency or if new services need to be installed.
Ensuring lasting repairs by utility companies
Utility companies that dig up roads to repair equipment must restore the road to a high standard. The 'New Roads and Street Works Act' (NRSWA) allows them to make temporary repairs, but they must make these permanent within 6 months.
We meet regularly to discuss repair materials and methods. They are encouraged to minimise long-term road damage by using innovative methods.
This includes:
- repositioning equipment,
- using trenchless technology that avoids digging, and
- using the latest technology that offers value for money.
East Sussex Highways use 'New Roads and Street Works Act' (NRSWA) qualified inspectors. They check that repairs meet required standards.
We inspect their works within 6 months of the work being completed. If the quality is not good enough, the company must redo the work and a higher number of inspections will be carried out on their work in future. This helps to improve performance and protect the road.
Lane rental scheme
To further support our efforts to minimise congestion on the network, East Sussex was among the first local authorities to introduce a lane rental scheme in April 2025.
The scheme allows local authorities to charge for the time that street and road works occupy the highway on the very busiest streets at the busiest times. In East Sussex this is 5.9% of the highway network. Charges apply to works promoted by both utility companies and local highway authorities on the local road network. This encourages people carrying out roadworks to work as efficiently as possible.
Daily charges are:
- £1,500 for a lane closure
- £2,500 for a road closure
Once the costs of running the lane rental scheme are covered, the surplus money will be available for highway improvements, innovation and measures to further improve disruption and congestion-caused by works across the county.
Climate change, resilience and adaptation
Decarbonising maintenance
We are aiming to deliver an average 13% carbon reduction year on year from 2025 to 2030. We work closely with out highway maintenance contractor who have a plan called 'Bridging the gap', which contains targeted actions to reduce carbon.
Understanding the risks the network faces from the changing climate
Changing weather patterns present growing risks to roads and highway infrastructure. Key challenges include:
- Flooding – Heavy rain overwhelms drains, damages road surfaces, and weakens structures.
- Heat – High temperatures soften road surfaces, causing deformation and material failure.
- Freeze-thaw cycles – Repeated freezing leads to cracks and potholes.
- Storms and high winds – Cause fallen trees, damage to signs and structures, and blockages.
- Coastal erosion and sea level rise – Threaten roads near the coast.
These risks mean councils must build greater resilience into the network—using better materials, improving drainage and targeting investment where roads are most vulnerable.
Our data led approach to asset management gives opportunities for us to identify areas of greatest risk from changes in climate. In recent years we have mapped our flooding hotspots and we are currently exploring areas at risk of erosion.
Additional information
You can find more information on our policies and services at the links below:
