Kent County Council (KCC) in England has announced an additional investment of £60m ($73.5m) for planned highway maintenance works.

The investment follows the release of KCC’s highway maintenance works programme intended to be performed during 2019-20 and 2020-21.

The county council has increased its road and footway maintenance budget for the next three years.

KCC has also planned to undertake a project to upgrade crash barriers on main roads.

KCC cabinet member for highways Mike Whiting said: “This investment shows our commitment to residents, businesses and visitors, ensuring we have a highway network that is fit for purpose.

“Our plans will see road surfacing works on many of our main roads, including parts of the A2, A26 and A28.

“The plan also covers work from road renewal, drainage improvements, crash barrier renewal, grass cutting and footpath repairs.”

The works listed will be implemented over the coming two years following the completion of the design phase and the engineering assessment.

The planned highway maintenance works programme could change depending on factors such as budget allocation, contract rate changes and the council’s ‘changing priorities’.

KCC is responsible for the maintenance of approximately 8,046km of public roads in the county while major roads and motorways, including M20, M2, A21, A2, A249 and A20, fall under the management of Highways England.

Later this year, KCC will publish an advanced plan containing the outline of future 2021-22 to 2023-24 highway maintenance works.