A trial to find new ways to repair roads damaged by soil is to be considered by councillors.
The highways and transport committee at Cambridgeshire County Council will discuss the trial on Tuesday, March 4.
In January 2024, the committee discussed proposals for managing soil-affected roads.
Since then, £1.5 million of external funding has been secured, and an extra £5 million of capital funding has been assigned to repair and reconstruct soil-affected roads before the end of the next financial year.
Councillors will hear how the county council has been working with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) on a business case to unlock investment dedicated to the trial.
The CPCA has approved £1.5 million for the development, design, and delivery of possible long-term solutions to address roads built over peat soils.
Some of the trial options could include using lightweight recycled products, an "ultra-low" carbon material, or a technique that involves treating materials on site to improve their strength and durability.
The plan is to trial this on the B1099 Upwell Road near March.
If approved, design work, including on-site investigations and stakeholder engagement, would start in May.
The aim is for the trial to begin in the summer next year.
Councillor Alex Beckett, chair of the highways and transport committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Climate change and extreme weather are having a significant impact on our soil-affected roads.
"While we are doing everything we can locally to maintain and keep these roads safe, addressing this challenge properly requires national support.
"I’m pleased that our newly elected MPs are now engaging on this issue, and we look forward to working with them and the government to secure the necessary funding and long-term solutions.”
The committee papers can be found on the council's website, and the meeting will be live-streamed on the council’s YouTube channel.
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