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Southampton City Council has embraced the latest of innovations in road maintenance - by fixing the roads with a machine described as working like a "toaster." The council has been using an infra red patching machine, known as a Rhinopatch, since July to help fix and improve the condition of the city's roads. Instead of the more traditional method of cutting out a segment of the road and refilling it to fix road defects such as potholes, the machine literally zaps the road, heating it up like a toaster. This softens the surface allowing the material to be worked with and relayed to repair the damage. The new technique means roads can be mended much faster than using traditional methods - and the repairs last an average of four years longer. Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Councillor Matt Dean, said: "This is just one example of the innovative approach we are taking to improve the city's highways. "It is essential that with year on year Government underfunding and especially during these very turbulent economic times, we do all we can to make the best use of the limited resources we have available. We must continue to think outside the box in terms of road maintenance and make sure we are offering the best possible service to our residents and motorists." A demonstration with the Rhinopatch, took place this week when Southampton City Council celebrated National Customer Service Week with its ‘Back to the Floor' events which saw directors and managers from across the council joining frontline staff to see how services are delivered. Executive Director of Environment and Transport, Lorraine Brown, joined highways staff to see for herself how the council's latest tool in tackling our roads works. She commented: "Our highways staff are working extremely hard to deliver improvements to the city's roads and infrastructure. "So far this year 25 miles of new tarmac has been laid across the city's roads and we are on track to deliver all our planned improvement schemes which are part of the largest ever programme of works being undertaken in the city. "Highways staff have welcomed this particular new technology as part of the range of tools and technologies we have in place to improve our roads and pavements.' Street Maintenance Manager, Rowan Sheppard said the Rhinopatch machine has already been a great success in the city. "This machine can repair up to 45 sq metres of surface a day," he said. "Some people have said it works a bit like a toaster, but one resident told me she thought it looks like a bit like a giant bed stead!" "It makes a seamless, hot-welded joint between the repair and the surrounding bit-mac surface which is stronger and should prevent the ingress of water. "It is also a much quieter and environmentally friendly way of fixing roads." Southampton City Council is doing all it can to improve its highways service.
£22 million of combined funding is being spent on the city's highways infrastructure this year with major routes in the city being improved. For more information visit Southamtpon City Council |
