Walsall Council, in partnership with its Highways and Infrastructure contractor Tarmac and Kaarbontech, is celebrating after being awarded the Asset Management Award by the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation.
Since 2012 Walsall Council has been using the Kaarbontech online Gully SMART system to maintain the borough’s 37,000 highway gullies. During this period the council’s highways maintenance team has worked collaboratively with Kaarbontech to develop their software. This allows the team to access real time data and respond to customer enquires in a swift, efficient manner. The online system is also available to the public who can use it to view gully cleansing records and report problems.
Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader of Walsall Council said:
“This is a great example of how the highways maintenance team has been moving towards digital transformation and embracing emerging technologies to deliver an efficient and effective service and maximise the best use of resources.”
“We are going to build on this success and aim to make the service even better for local residents.”
Development of the Kaarbontech online Gully SMART system aimed to speed up works, reduce flood risk and reduce the cost of investigations through the sharing of interactive drainage data between Walsall Council and Severn Trent Water. Severn Trent’s drainage details were incorporated on a mobile device which helps gully crews understand the complete surface water network, where a blockage or defect may stem from, and who is responsible for resolving the problem.
Mark Entwistle Managing Director at Kaarbontech said:
“We were pleased to have been nominated for the award along with two other great companies and delighted to have won – it confirms that all the hard work and innovation is still moving in the right direction.
“Tarmac’s gully crews are using Gully Smart in Walsall with outstanding results.”
Mark Harriman, Operations Manager at Tarmac said:
“It was a fantastic achievement to win such a prestigious award against very stiff competition”.
Photograph L-R:
Peter Hyde, representing Tarmac
Mark Harriman, representing Tarmac
Steve Pretty representing Walsall Council
Mark Entwistle, representing Kaarbontech
Katie Moreton, representing Walsall Council
