The BIG Fill

Making a difference

Keeping up with the road resurfacing and pothole problems is a never-ending challenge for all councils, but here in the Vale we’ve been stepping up the fight with our BIG Fill campaign.

 

The BIG Fill crews tackle potholes over the weekends; this work is in addition to the crew’s busy weekday schedule.

 

BIG Fill is getting results

The BIG Fill team is two-thirds of the way through its year-long campaign, which runs from September 2012 until September 2013. The team estimates that in the past six months they have:

• filled over 3000 extra potholes

• used 30 tonnes of tarmac over an average weekend filling potholes

• repaired approximately 200 potholes in each ward visited.

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The BIG Fill schedule 2012-2013

 

Wards the team has already visited:

1. Dyfan
2. Illtyd
3. Cadoc
4. Court
5. Castleland
6. Buttrills
7. Baruc
8. Gibbonsdown
9. Llantwit Major
10. Llandough
11. Cornerswell
12. St. Augustine's
13. Stanwell
14. Plymouth
15. Dinas Powys

Phase II is nearly complete!

Over the weekend of 11 May the BIG Fill crews will be returning to Dinas to tackle the remainder of the potholes on their list. During the rest of May The BIG FIll team will be taking a break, but don't worry we'll be returning in June to tackle remaining wards. Remember, whether we are in your ward or not, you can report a pothole at any time - our weekday crews can add repairs to their list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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BIG Fill answers some of your questions:

(Please let us know if you have any other queries)

 

How can I get involved?

Please help us to spot potholes and report them to our team by:

• Phoning 01446 700111 and tell us that you are reporting a pothole under ‘The BIG Fill’ campaign
• email: thebigfill@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk
• plot the exact location of your nominated pothole on our interactive map
• You can also find our schedule in local newspapers, on Twitter: @VOGCouncil, Facebook: Vale of Glamorgan Life, or below.

Please note that potholes can only be reported between Monday and Friday the week prior to our team arriving in the ward. Remember, if you see a pothole marked in white, there’s no need to report it – we’re already on the case.

 

How do I know which ward I’m in?

Call our contact centre on 01446 700111 – our advisors will be happy to help.

 

Can I leave feedback?

Yes, we would love to hear your views. For those that submitted a pothole report but have not completed the paper survey, an online one is available here. If you wish to leave feedback on the BIG Fill regardless of if you have submitted a pothole report or not please take our feedback survey.

 

Why do we get potholes?

A pothole is a point on the road where the asphalt has eroded and where a depression forms. As they age, road surfaces get increasingly porous and absorb more rainwater. Frost also affects road surfaces, as the water seeps down, freezes and expands, gradually weakening the surface, causing bits of the road to loosen. Vehicles driving over the pothole will also make the dip grow over time.

 

How is the BIG Fill campaign different to reporting a pothole now?

Currently, our highways inspectors and contractors Birkett LGA Ltd work to a weekly schedule from Monday to Friday. But during ‘The BIG Fill’, our crews will be working on weekends, with the aim of filling potholes in every ward in the Vale. Emergency potholes identified in a high risk area will still be fixed within 24 hours.

 

What happens if there are lots of potholes in one road?                        

If there are deemed to be lots of potholes on one road by our highways inspectors, then it is likely that the road – or a section of it – will be earmarked for resurfacing at a later date. Remember that even if we have filled a pothole, feasibly days later another new pothole can form nearby, sometimes people think we have not therefore fixed potholes reported - when we have!

 

I reported a pothole, but it has not been filled yet. What is going on?

We respond to each report as soon as we can. The supervisor on site and our inspectors will prioritise works identified for each weekend. If crews are inundated over a weekend, we will add any remaining potholes to our existing weekly schedule.

 

What about parking issues?

If a pothole is marked in white, it is on our ‘to do’ list for the following weekend.  So, if you see a pothole marked in white, please do not park near it during the weekend. Please bear with us if we are in your way – our workers should have the job done within an hour.

 

Will there be disruption?

The machinery used to fill the potholes will cause some unavoidable noise. We will be advertising where we will be working in advance of the weekend, and our contractor has invested in quieter machinery to minimise inconvenience. Our crews will not begin noisy work until 9am on Saturdays and 9.30am on Sundays. Where necessary, we will operate a temporary traffic light system or other traffic control methods. Please bear with our crews – we aim to get each pothole fixed within one hour.

 

Do you follow industry standards?

Yes. All our resurfacing work is carried out to the standard identified by the highway specifications and contract conditions. We follow a strict code of practice for highways maintenance management.