Adopting a risk-based approach to reactive maintenance, means that the prioritisation of the defect will depend on the level of risk that it poses. For example, a deep 400mm diameter pothole on a 60mph A Road would represent a greater risk than that posed by a similar sized pothole in a residential cul-de-sac.
As it is not possible for works to be carried out everywhere at the same time, repairs need to be prioritised. Suffolk Highways will give higher priority to busier roads and footways, where there is a greater chance of the defect causing a problem, and lower priority to defects on quieter roads. As a result, Suffolk Highways’ approach links a category of defect to a specific timescale for repairs:
- Cat 1 - 2 hours
- Cat 2 - 2 working days
- Cat 3 - 5 working days
- Cat 4 - 10 working days
- Cat 5 - 20 working days
- Cat 7 - potential future works
- Cat 8 - planned works
Suffolk Highways uses the location (severity) and size (likelihood) of the defect to determine risk. A set of matrices (linked above) have been produced that show the response time for different types of defects at different locations within the highway network. Further details of these can be found in the full HMOP document.