Remedial works plan announced to repair footpath infill works affected by recent cold weather.
Lincolnshire County Council Highways officers and broadband supplier CityFibre have identified an installation defect at several sites around Lincoln and Hykeham.
Recent very cold temperatures have seen some infills of the footpath trenches dug to lay cables suffer from a ‘swell’ in the materials used. Without some minor remedial works, the materials will continue to rise above the level of the trenches dug into the footpath and become a trip hazard.
Working closely together, LCC and CityFibre have identified around 70 sites affected, and CityFibre will carry out the works out to correct the issue. Sites where defects that have risen the most will be prioritised.
Whilst those sites that have already seen the material ‘swell’ in the cold weather are easy to identify, there are some areas where this has not happened yet. With the information now collated, LCC and CityFibre are able to identify exactly where needs attention and, although there will be no visible reason for works to be carried out, these sites will also get the remedial works necessary as a precaution.
Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for Highways and IT at LCC, said: “I am very pleased that our officers have been able to identify this issue and that we are able to work closely with CityFibre to get the necessary remedial works undertaken.
“CityFibre will undertake the works needed and this issue has been caught early enough by all involved to ensure that effective repairs are carried out in plenty of time before any future problems emerge.”
Dominika Walker, CityFibre’s Area Manager for Lincoln, said: “We are investing £21m to future-proof the digital capabilities of Lincoln by bringing the best available digital connectivity to thousands of homes and businesses. This is a major undertaking, which is why we work closely with our build partner, local authorities and the council’s highways team to manage disruption as best we can and ensure works are delivered quickly, and to our high standards.
“We carried out some works in various areas in Lincoln before Christmas, however, due to some severe weather conditions in recent weeks, the reinstatement has not taken. As a result, we will be carrying out further reinstatement work in these areas to fix the problem and would like to thank the community for their patience as we aim to complete this within the next four months.”