In East Sussex, we look after more than 2,000 miles of roads, stretching from busy A‑roads to unclassified roads in rural villages and coastal towns.
We maintain, inspect, and repair an ageing and heavily used network, while doing everything we can to keep your journeys safe and reliable. Increasing traffic, more frequent severe weather, and national funding pressures all place strain on the system.
We’re keeping our focus firmly on safety, serviceability, and resilience. Our crews work seven days a week to repair safety defects as quickly as possible, responding rapidly to issues and keeping routes open and usable.
Weather: our biggest wildcard
Rain, frost, heatwaves and storms all speed up road deterioration. When extreme weather hits, our teams work day and night to clear debris, repair damage, and keep key routes open. During snow events, it can seem like the county has more than one climatic eco-system on the go at once!
From the rural hills of the north to the sunshine coast of the south, each area faces its own unique challenge which means keeping the county moving is a round‑the‑clock operation.
With finite budgets, every decision matters
Over recent years, national funding hasn’t kept pace with what’s needed. Rising costs and limited budgets mean we haven’t been able to carry out as much preventative maintenance as we’d like. This is a national issue and not restricted to East Sussex.
Where does funding come from?
Funding for highway maintenance comes from council tax, business rates and Government grants. Each year, the council balances local priorities and agrees two spending plans: the revenue budget and the capital programme. Both include money to help keep roads, and all other highway assets, in safe working order.
With the funding we have, we must prioritise our primary network - the key routes that keep the county moving for residents, businesses, public transport and emergency services. It’s not an easy choice, but it helps us make the biggest impact with the resources available. At the same time, we’re using smarter data to plan repairs and extend asset life.
More information on our asset management approach can be found here.
Working with utility providers
Water, gas, electricity, and telecoms all have a legal right to carry out work on the highway. While these upgrades help keep vital services running, they can add complexity to scheduling and sometimes cause unavoidable delays. We work closely with utilities to coordinate the 30,000 requests to occupy the highway annually to minimise disruption wherever possible.
Spot something on the road that needs attention?
Report it quickly at www.eastsussexhighways.com/report-a-problem
Together, we can keep East Sussex safe, connected, and moving.
A blog by Andrew, Head of Highways at East Sussex County Council