SIR – I am writing in response to the recent letter about the state of Welwyn Hatfield s roads. The work on Stanborough Road is in two stages. Stage one – repairing significant defects – is complete; in stage two we will lay a new surface over the

SIR - I am writing in response to the recent letter about the state of Welwyn Hatfield's roads.

The work on Stanborough Road is in two stages. Stage one - repairing significant defects - is complete; in stage two we will lay a new surface over the existing road to protect it from future deterioration.

A date has not yet been set for this work as we are drawing up a schedule to co-ordinate this with other projects in the area. In the meantime, temporary road markings have been put down to make this busy road as safe as possible before the next stage.

We regularly survey our roads during the year and use this information to predict how they might deteriorate in the future and calculate how and when to remedy this.

We also work out which treatment offers the best value for money so that scheduled work has the greatest positive impact on the condition of our roads, both now and in the future. This approach has made us one of the UK's leading highway authorities.

There is no denying that, despite an increase in road traffic, government funding is set to remain low. However, the county council has invested an extra £30m above normal funding, into highways since 2006. This year we are investing (including government funding) a record £89m into Hertfordshire Highways. We recently added a further £2m to this for small projects around the county - we are selecting work from local residents' priorities.

Our surveys show that new approaches (such as the pothole filling technique that featured in a recent WHT article), additional funding and careful monitoring are help

ing us stop the decline in our roads and protect them for the future.

Maintaining our 5,000km of highways to the highest standards possible, within available resources, is and will continue to be a major priority for the county council and our partners.

County councillor Stuart Pile

executive member for highways, transport and rural affairs.

* SIR - Now that Stanborough Road has been prepared for resurfacing, will it be much longer before they come back to finish the job?

Ian Marsh, Handside Lane, WGC.