City of Wolverhampton Council has announced a significant boost to its highways capital programme, allocating £9.7 million for road improvements in the 2025/26 financial year.

This includes an additional £500,000 commitment from the council, aimed at continuing vital road surfacing projects and tackling the ongoing issue of potholes.

Potholes remain a top priority for the council, with over 7,900 potholes repaired in the past year alone. However, with more than 740 kilometres of carriageway to manage, the council emphasises the importance of preventative work. Using a data-driven approach, the council is focusing on targeted surfacing projects to extend the life of roads and reduce the need for reactive repairs.

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The surface dressing process, which is quick and minimally disruptive to traffic, helps protect roads from water and frost – major contributors to pothole formation. In addition, full road resurfacing is carried out where necessary to ensure long-lasting road quality.

In the past five years, the council has treated over 560 square kilometres of carriageway through resurfacing and surface dressing, while also repairing more than 58,000 defects in roads and footways – averaging 44 repairs per working day.

The 2025/26 programme will include more surface dressing and full resurfacing works, as well as upgrades to road safety and traffic management systems. Additionally, improvements will be made to the council’s car park management systems, and the completion of a streetlighting upgrade will see nearly 30,000 streetlights switched to energy-efficient LED, contributing to both cost savings and reduced carbon emissions.

The council will carry out the 2025/26 work under the next phase of its Highway Capital Programme. Funding has come through external grants and council resources.

The programme has delivered £37.5 million worth of improvements and development work since 2020.