Road and pavement maintenance

Kent has one of the largest and busiest road networks in the country. We look after over 5,000 miles of roads, 4,000 miles of pavements, 2,700 bridges and hundreds of thousands of street lights, signs and road drains.

Maintenance is either planned or responsive and based on information we receive from:

• mechanical surveys of the roads
• reports from our highway inspectors
• members of Kent County Council
• district and parish councils
• the public.

Report a problem

If you notice a problem on one of our roads, please tell us about it using our online fault reporting form or call us 24 hours a day on 08458 247 800.

Important: If the issue is a hazard to public safety or anything else urgent, then call us immediately on 08458 247 800. Do not use the online reporting form.

Planned maintenance

We inspect busy A and B roads once every month, and all other roads (like housing estates or country lanes) once every six months. We inspect busy pavements every month, and other paths and pavements once every year. We also carry out inspections in response to problems reported to us by local residents, parish councils, the police and so on.

By carrying out surveys of streets and pavements, we monitor their condition and use the results to decide what work needs doing. We can plan which roads in the county need repairs, what type of repairs and when we are going to do this.

Planned maintenance improves the quality of our roads and pavements, increases their life expectancy and keeps them safe for all users.

Have a look at our traffic and travel and current roadworks pages to find out about any roadworks that will affect your journey.

Roads we do not maintain

We look after all the roads in Kent except motorways and trunk roads, (roads that link motorways to ports) as this is done by the Highways Agency, and includes the following:

• M20
• M2
• M26
• M25
• A21 - all
• A2 - London to M2 Junction 1 (Cobham)
• A2 - M2 Junction 7 (Faversham) to Dover
• A282 - M25 Junction 2 to Junction 1 (A206)
• A292 - M20 Junction 10 to M20 London Bound On-Slip
• A2070 - M20 Junction 10 to A259 (Brenzett)
• A259 - A2070 (Brenzett) to East Sussex
• A20 - M25 Junction 3 (Swanley) to London
• A20 - M20 Junction 13 (Folkestone) to Dover

You can also view a map of the motorways and trunk roads maintained by the Highways Agency (PDF, 2.2mb).

Find out more about how they look after roads in this area on the Highways Agency website.

Do you only look after roads and pavements?

As well as looking after roads and pavements, we also promote road safety and other ways of travelling, including supporting over 200 local bus services.

We're working to make your journey enjoyable and are committed to:

• better condition of roads and pavements
• safer roads and pavements
• improving journey times for all
• shaping development and improving travel choice in kent
• improving public satisfaction
• delivering an efficient and sustainable service.

Is my local district or borough council responsible for anything on the road?

We are responsible for most of the issues relating to roads. However, your local borough or district council will deal with the following matters:

• abandoned vehicles
• parking bays for disabled drivers
• dogs, stray dogs, and dog mess (including providing bins on roads and pavements)
• providing and emptying litter bins
• maintaining parks and playgrounds
• parking and permits
• giving planning permission
• residents' parking permits
• putting up street-name plates
• sweeping the streets
• issuing tree preservation orders.