Utility companies dug up roads in Northern Ireland 55,000 in a year – leading to an increased risk of infrastructure deterioration, a new report has said.
The Audit Office said more needs to be done to understand and prevent the potential deterioration of the network where road openings have not been reinstated to an acceptable standard.
Comptroller and Auditor General Dorinnia Carville said the Department for Infrastructure is failing to meet its inspection and testing targets when roads and streets are repaired after being dug up by utility companies.
To maintain and enhance their services, companies such as those that provide gas, electricity and communications services, regularly open the road network.
The report said the key driver for the increase in the number of road openings in recent years is the rise in the number of new internet and home energy options for consumers.
It is the responsibility of the companies to ensure that, when work is completed, the road or footpath is reinstated to an acceptable standard, the Audit Office said.
The report said that failure to do so increases the risk of accelerated deterioration in the condition of the road.
It said that this risk is growing with a rise in the total number of road openings by utility companies, which have been increasing year-on-year for the past seven years, reaching a total of 55,000 openings in 2023-24.
It added: “Despite this increase, the department is unable to provide an estimate of the total proportion of structural maintenance works linked to poor-quality reinstatements by utilities.”
The report said defects have to be identified within a two to three-year warranty period to ensure that costs for any remedial works lie with the companies, rather than taxpayers.
However, it said that over the last six years, the department has been unable to meet its target of inspecting 30% of total openings.
The report said the Stormont department’s current testing regime consisted of a high number of visual inspections, along with a small volume of core tests involving laboratory testing of samples taken from reinstatements.
It pointed out there is a divergence in performance in tests measured by visual inspections versus core sample testing.
The report said: “While the pass rate for visual inspections is above a target of 90%, the more detailed core sample tests are reporting failure rates well above the target of 10%.”
It also said inspections are based on random selection, rather than on a risk-based model based upon historic results or current testing models in other UK regions.
The report added: “As a consequence of the weaknesses found, we are unable to conclude that current arrangements are effective in delivering value for money.”
Ms Carville said: “Current estimates from the department put the total cost of the road network maintenance backlog at around £3 billion.
“While road openings by utilities are certainly not the sole cause of deteriorations in the network, they are potentially a contributing factor adding to this significant financial burden.”
“Given the growing number of road openings, and the department’s failure to meet its existing inspection and testing targets, it is vital that resources which are available are utilised to deliver the most benefit.
“Therefore, the report recommends that the department considers introducing risk-based sampling for inspections, and whether increased allocation of resources to more detailed core testing might deliver better value to taxpayers.”
The report also recommends that the department considers whether the current warranty period in Northern Ireland is adequate for protecting taxpayers from costs relating to defective reinstatements by utility companies.
This follows a review in Scotland which saw the warranty period there increase to six years (compared with two to three years in Northern Ireland).
It is also recommended that the department consider the use of fixed penalty notices or other performance improvement systems for utility companies.
A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure said: “The department welcomes the publication of the NIAO Report on Road Openings by Utilities and is considering the findings.
“No further comment will be made until the Assembly process is complete.”