Utility works contributing to deterioration of roads network, committee warns

Utility companies digging up roads in Northern Ireland more than 50,000 times a year could be contributing to infrastructure deterioration, a Stormont committee has warned.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has also raised concerns that the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) “cannot provide assurance that taxpayers are not subsidising associated maintenance work”.

In a report, the committee said the burden of maintenance costs associated with road openings and reinstatements that take place annually should be shared with the utilities.

However, the committee has expressed “alarm” that it had not received reassurances that this was the case.

Utility companies which supply services like gas, electricity and communications, carry out necessary works on their infrastructure.

When this involves opening roads and pavements, they are also responsible for reinstating them to a standard so they can be used by the public.

The PAC has made 11 recommendations following an inquiry.

The committee believes that frequent and repeated road openings can “weaken the road structure and contribute to the deterioration of the network over time”.

Committee chair Daniel McCrossan said: “Of course there are other causes of defects that the Department (for Infrastructure) is required to repair across the entire network.

“However, when we spoke to officials they couldn’t set out a reliable way of calculating how much of that burden arose from deterioration of the road network linked specifically to utility reinstatements.

“As a result, they couldn’t reassure us that taxpayers were not subsidising repairs that should be properly funded by utility companies.

“We are recommending that by the early autumn, the department develops a methodology to determine the cost of maintenance linked specifically to utility reinstatements – and uses it to determine if its cost recovery approach is appropriate and achieving value for money.”

Mr McCrossan said the committee also wanted to see the department undertake a full evaluation of the costs and benefits of introducing performance-related financial penalties for utilities.

The committee concluded that the road network was in an “entirely unacceptable state of disrepair”.

It highlighted a 2024 Northern Ireland Audit Office finding that more than £3.3 billion worth of maintenance work remained outstanding.

In its report, the PAC said that the disruption caused by utility works impacted significantly on road users and local communities.

The committee said it would like to see a substantial strengthening in how DfI gathered, analysed and responded to public concerns, and called for reporting mechanisms to be “simple, accessible and well promoted”.

The committee has also called for a review of warranties related to reinstatements to take place within the next six months – to ensure they protect public money.

Warranties are intended to protect the taxpayer from short-term costs arising from poor‑quality reinstatements – but PAC said it believes the current two or three‑year warranty periods are insufficient.

PAC welcomed the department’s innovative digital mapping and AI project, which it said in the future could transform the way road conditions are understood and defects are identified.

It said the department’s ability to manage road openings by utilities had been constrained by “significant recruitment and retention challenges”.