Commentary on Sections Resurfacing Section 30 Power of road works authority to require undertaker to resurface road
85.Section 30 of the Act gives road works authorities a new power to require undertakers to resurface a road in certain circumstances. It does this by introducing a new section 132A to the 1991 Act.
86.Undertakers affected by this new power are those who have given notice under section 113 or section 114 of the 1991 Act, are carrying out road works at the time the road works authority issues the requirement, or are still within the notice period for the completion of road works. The circumstances in which a road works authority can issue a notice (to be known as a resurfacing notice) will be set out in regulations, and will allow the road works authority to require a part of a road to be resurfaced which has not directly been broken up by the undertaker. Equally, the regulations may restrict the extent of the resurfacing works which undertakers are required to carry out.
87.New section 132B gives road works authorities a power to require undertakers to complete resurfacing within certain time periods. It also requires, through regulations, road works authorities to consult undertakers on required time periods, and does not allow the time period to be retrospective from the date when the notice is given. This is to ensure that the time periods allocated to undertakers for the completion of resurfacing are reasonable.
88.New section 132C allows road works authorities to specify the materials and standards of workmanship to be used by undertakers when completing resurfacing work.