Pothole-busting partnership wins prestigious awards

Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s use of pioneering JCB technology to fix potholes quickly and permanently has won two prestigious industry awards.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council and JCB were high commended in the ‘safety and innovation project of the year’ category and won the ‘Judges Merit Award’ at the annual Institute of Highways Engineering (IHE) Mercia Branch awards.

JCB’s revolutionary PotholePro machine has been trialled on streets across the city, and in just four months has made over three years’ worth of pothole repairs that would usually be done manually.

Councillor Daniel Jellyman (main image), cabinet member for regeneration, infrastructure and heritage, said: “Our crews do a fantastic job in repairing potholes and road defects right across the city, and we have invested heavily in our road infrastructure because we value the need to keep our motorists moving safely, for the benefits of residents, businesses and the city’s economy. JCB is one of our area’s most innovative businesses, and our highways teams have been working hand-in-hand to trial this brand new machine on our city’s streets. It is a partnership that is reaping rewards. These awards are further recognition of the industry-leading significance of this work.”

Ben Rawding, JCB Pothole Pro Manager said: “We’re thrilled that the PotholePro has won these prestigious awards. Our work with the council is already having a major positive impact on improving the city’s road network, meaning more maintenance can be carried out more quickly, improving road safety for all road users.”