£30m 9-year investment upgrades 60+ miles of Bury roads as £4m more approved!

Bury Council’s £30 millionhighway investment programme has already transformed more than 60 miles (96.5km) of roads across the Bury borough, delivering safe and noticeably smoother journeys for residents. A further £4million has now been approved, enabling road improvement works to continue through to March 2027.

Since the start of the extra council investment in 2017, more than 700 roads have been upgraded.

In the 12 months, April 2025 to March 2026, over 4.6 miles (7.5 km) of roads with an area of over 45,000 sq m (equivalent to roughly 6 football pitches) benefited from a resurfacing scheme, costing £3.1 million across 32 streets.

In addition, during summer 2025, over 6.2 miles (10 km) of roads with an area of 60,000 sq metres(equivalent to around 230 tennis courts) benefited from preventative maintenance, costing over £1 million across 46 streets.

Preventative maintenance is where the existing road surface is dressed and overlaid rather than removed and then replaced. Surface dressing is less costly, quicker and less disruptive to road users, adding 10-15 years extra usage and preventing major deterioration and potholes in the future.

While resurfacing lasts longer, around 20 years, it is slower to carry out, involving several processes. It is also more disruptive, requiring extensive road closures.

Through a separate funding allocation, approximately 11,000 potholes are also repaired annually.

Cllr Alan Quinn, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Climate Change, said: “Our £1 billion road network is one of our most valuable and important assets. While we can’t resurface every road at once, our multi-million-pound extra investment programme has enabled us to upgrade 60 miles of roads at many hundreds of locations that we couldn’t otherwise have tackled.

“All councils face a significant highways maintenance backlog due to years of national underfunding. But with the additional £4 million now approved by the council, we are continuing to show our commitment to improving the roads that residents rely on every day.

“Combined with UK Government funding through CRSTS, more money is going into the roads than ever before.

“However, we recognise that the winter weather has been especially damaging to local roads, leading to more potholes, surface defects, and some temporary repairs deteriorating faster than usual. We ask residents bear with us while we respond. Our highways team is working proactively to address these issues, and while we can’t fix every road immediately, we will be repairing defects as promptly and effectively as possible.”

For more information about highway funding and priorities, the highway schemes planned for 2025/26, plus how to report road issues and check for road works, visit www.bury.gov.uk/highways.

To report a pothole or other road issue, visit: https://www.bury.gov.uk/roads-travel-and-parking/highways-keep-bury-moving/report-a-pot-hole