Bolton Road Repair Fund Targets 40 Hotspots 2026

Key Points

• Over £6.5 million will be invested in Bolton within Greater Manchester’s £60 million road maintenance fund.
• When combined with the existing investment by the Bolton Council, it will amount to an investment of £10 million for road maintenance purposes.
• More than 40 road repair sites across the Borough are expected to be targeted within spring 2027.
• This will involve the repair of the roads with poorly maintained surfaces and pavement as well as road resurfacing aimed at preventing deterioration.
• It will be done within the Highways Capital Programme of Bolton Council approved in August 2026.
• Draycott Street, Hobart Street and Hughes Street in Halliwell area have been selected for road repairs.
• Bolton has received the fourth-highest investment among the ten Greater Manchester local authorities.
• The fund will be used to repair and maintain more than one million square meters of road, which is about 125 km.
• Resident people, motorists, bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians are some of the beneficiaries of the scheme.
• The investment comes after complaints from the residents regarding potholes and poor surfaces of roads including Deepdale Road, Lydgate Avenue and Monks Lane.

Bolton (Manchester Mirror) September 21, 2026 — Bolton Council is preparing to use more than £6.5 million of additional funding, alongside its own resources, to create an estimated £10 million programme for road and pavement improvements across the borough.

More than 40 locations described as road repair hotspots are expected to be addressed by spring 2027. The programme is intended to tackle sections where road surfaces are already in poor condition, while also resurfacing roads and pavements to reduce the risk of further deterioration.

The Bolton News reported that the work will be coordinated through Bolton Council’s Highways Capital Programme, which was approved in August. Contractors will carry out the repairs once individual schemes are brought forward.

The latest development follows the announcement by Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig of a £60 million regional road maintenance fund. Bolton’s allocation is reported as £6.552 million, giving the borough the fourth-highest share among Greater Manchester’s 10 local authorities.

Bolton Council’s wider contribution means the authority expects to have around £10 million available for improvements across the borough. The precise value of individual schemes and the full list of all 40-plus locations have not been published in the material currently available.

Which Bolton roads have been selected for repairs?

Three roads in Halliwell have already been identified for work: Draycott Street, Hobart Street and Hughes Street.

The Bolton News previously reported that the three roads were selected because they required repairs, including work to address longstanding potholes and help prevent future damage. The schemes are part of Bolton’s share of the Greater Manchester fund.

The announcement follows wider complaints about the condition of roads in the borough. According to The Bolton News, potholes reported during the previous winter on Deepdale Road, Lydgate Avenue and Monks Lane in Breightmet were described by residents as being severe in some places.

The condition of Monks Lane and Lydgate Avenue was also highlighted in photographs accompanying the newspaper’s report. Deepdale Road was separately described as appearing to be in poor condition.

Although the Halliwell roads are among the first locations to be confirmed, the council has not yet published a complete schedule identifying every hotspot included in the programme. That means residents will need to wait for further council announcements regarding the remaining roads, expected work dates and any temporary traffic restrictions.

What has Bolton Council said about the investment?

Cllr Nadeem Ayub, Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Highways, Transport and Planning, welcomed the additional funding.

As reported by The Bolton News, Cllr Ayub said: “This funding is very welcome and will allow us to bring forward work on the roads on our priority list.”

He added that the council was taking “a sensible, planned approach” to improving roads over the longer term and said he was confident that residents would begin to see improvements soon.

The council’s approach is not limited to filling individual potholes. The programme is also intended to include broader resurfacing work, which can deal with deteriorating sections before they become more severely damaged.

Bolton Council says highway maintenance funding is used for a range of assets, including roads, footpaths, bridges, street lighting, signage and traffic signals. The authority states that funding comes from the Department for Transport and Bolton Council’s own budgets.

The council also provides updates on planned roadworks and improvement schemes through its highways information services.

Why has Greater Manchester created the £60m fund?

Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig announced the £60 million road maintenance fund as one of her early priorities after taking office.

BBC journalists Mairead Smyth and Angela Ferguson reported that Craig said people in all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs had raised concerns about potholes and road conditions. The mayor said the fund would be sufficient to repair and maintain more than one million square metres of road across the city region.

The investment is expected to cover approximately 125 kilometres of road. It will be used both to repair damaged areas and to resurface roads and pavements before their condition worsens.

According to the BBC report, the funding has been divided between all 10 boroughs using a formula based on the number and length of roads managed by each local authority. Craig summarised the principle as: “the more roads you have, the more money you get.”

The allocations are:

Greater Manchester authority	Allocation
Bolton	£6.552m
Bury	£4.374m
Manchester	£8.155m
Oldham	£5.258m
Rochdale	£5.243m
Salford	£5.388m
Stockport	£6.820m
Tameside	£4.980m
Trafford	£4.992m
Wigan	£8.241m

The additional money comes from existing transport budgets and follows an increase in national government funding for pothole repairs, the BBC reported.

What concerns have been raised about the road programme?

The allocation has generated debate at Bolton Town Hall over how the money should be distributed.

The Bolton News reported that Conservative councillors supported splitting the funding into separate portions for different parts of the borough. A separate report said a proposal calling for the £6.5 million allocation to be divided equally across Bolton’s wards was due to be discussed at the town hall.

The debate reflects the challenge facing councils when funding is limited but road problems are spread across multiple communities. A borough-wide allocation can be distributed according to engineering priority, road condition and safety concerns, but some councillors and residents may instead favour an equal share for each area.

The council’s stated programme is based on priority roads and planned maintenance. This suggests that funding will not necessarily be divided into identical amounts between wards or communities. Instead, the condition and importance of individual roads are likely to influence which schemes are undertaken first.

The council has not stated that every reported pothole will be repaired through the new programme. The available information refers to more than 40 hotspots and broader resurfacing work, rather than a commitment to address every road defect across Bolton.

Who could benefit from the repairs?

The programme could affect a wide range of road users.

Damaged surfaces can create difficulties for motorists, buses, cyclists and pedestrians. Poor road conditions can also affect vehicle tyres, suspension, wheel alignment and tracking.

BBC reporters spoke to Dave Rigby, an Eccles garage owner, who said vehicles were brought to his business almost every day with damage linked to potholes. He identified suspension, tyres and wheel alignment as areas that can be affected.

For Bolton residents, improved surfaces could make journeys more comfortable and reduce the likelihood of damage caused by potholes. Resurfacing pavements could also support people walking through areas where footpaths have become uneven or degraded.

However, repair work may temporarily affect traffic, parking and access. The council has not yet published a complete timetable for all schemes, so the scale and timing of disruption will depend on the individual roads selected.

Why do Bolton’s roads deteriorate?

The Bolton News reported that cold and wet winters, increased traffic and heavier vehicles are among the factors contributing to road deterioration. Winter conditions can also worsen potholes, with snow and ice entering cracks and expanding as temperatures change.

Once a small defect develops, repeated traffic and water penetration can cause the affected area to expand. If repairs are limited to short-term patching, surrounding parts of the road may continue to deteriorate.

The Greater Manchester programme therefore combines urgent repairs with preventative resurfacing. The stated aim is not simply to fill existing holes but to maintain larger sections of the road network and slow further damage.

The RAC’s Rod Dennis told the BBC that long-term, guaranteed funding was needed to address pothole problems. He also criticised what he called a “patch and dash approach” and argued for proper planning to restore roads.

That view highlights an issue facing councils beyond the current investment: whether one-off or short-term funding can produce lasting improvements on a road network exposed to heavy traffic and severe weather.

Background: Bolton’s highway maintenance plans

Bolton’s road repair programme is part of a wider system of highway maintenance funded by both the local authority and central government.

Bolton Council says its highway funding covers roads, footpaths, bridges, lighting, signs and traffic signals. The authority publishes information about planned roadworks and individual improvement schemes through its highways services.

The new regional funding follows earlier local investment in Bolton’s highway network. Council documents and previous announcements have referred to capital programmes designed to improve roads and footpaths across the borough.

The £60 million Greater Manchester fund represents a regional decision to redirect transport resources towards maintenance. Bolton’s £6.552 million share is being combined with council funding to produce an estimated £10 million package for the borough.

The first clearly identified locations include Draycott Street, Hobart Street and Hughes Street in Halliwell. More than 40 hotspots are expected to be targeted by spring 2027, although the full list and detailed timetable remain subject to further announcements.

Prediction: what could the programme mean for Bolton residents?

If the planned work is delivered on schedule, Bolton residents could see improved road surfaces in more than 40 locations by spring 2027. People living near the selected roads are likely to notice the most immediate changes, while motorists, bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians could benefit from improved conditions along resurfaced routes.

The programme may also reduce the number of severe potholes on priority roads, but it is unlikely to eliminate all road maintenance problems across the borough. The £10 million package must cover a large network, and new potholes could continue to emerge because of winter weather, traffic and heavy vehicles.

The longer-term effect will depend on how much of the funding is used for durable resurfacing rather than isolated repairs, how effectively schemes are prioritised and whether future maintenance funding is available. Residents are likely to judge the programme not only by the number of potholes filled, but also by the durability of the repairs and the number of roads improved.

For Bolton businesses, commuters and local communities, the main expected benefit is a more reliable highway network. However, temporary disruption may occur while contractors carry out the work, and residents will need to follow future council notices about road closures, parking restrictions and construction schedules.