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M25 closure: A moment of quiet history26/04/2024 Highway Care witnessed first-hand the recent, historic closure of a section of the M25 to enable the demolition of a bridge as part of the J10 improvement works. Highways reports. |
National Highways' Heroes: Traffic officer service celebrates 20 years26/04/2024 National Highways’ traffic officer service celebrates its 20th anniversary on Friday (26 April), having increased tenfold over the two decades. |
HSC carbon toolkit to help 'all corners of the industry'25/04/2024 The Highways Sector Council (HSC) has launched a free toolkit to help the industry align with the PAS 2080 standard for managing carbon emissions in infrastructure and buildings. |
Skates 'prepares the ground' for revised guidance on 20mph24/04/2024 Motoring organisations and campaign groups have welcomed the Welsh Government’s plans to review the operation of its controversial 20mph default speed limit. |
Pothole call-outs up but drivers 'dodge bullet'23/04/2024 The RAC attended nearly 8,000 pothole-related breakdowns in the first quarter of 2024, up 53% on the previous quarter, ‘a clear sign that the UK is suffering a pothole epidemic’. |
National Highways refuses to disclose smart motorway SVD status23/04/2024 National Highways has refused to disclose how many of its failing smart motorway safety systems have nevertheless been cleared for permanent operation. |
Street works reforms: The view from ADEPT23/04/2024 ADEPT’s First Vice President, Ann Carruthers, outlines the association’s response to new plans for how councils should spend surplus funds from street works fines and lane rental schemes. |
Street works reforms: The view from utilities23/04/2024 Clive Bairsto CBE, chief executive of Street Works UK, calls for collaborative reform in street works regulation. |
Wales set to row back on default 20mph limits22/04/2024 Welsh government ministers are set to amend their controversial policy of default 20mph limits in an effort to compromise with critics. |
Panorama: Faulty smart motorway tech 'means Russian roulette'22/04/2024 Technology on smart motorways lost power nearly 400 times over 20 months, according to the BBC. |
Call to scrap All Lane Running as smart motorway deaths rise22/04/2024 Deaths on smart motorways have hit a record high, analysis by the Sunday Times has revealed. |
Market engagement begins on £155m A9 dualling next phase19/04/2024 Transport Scotland has started market engagement on a £155m contract for the next section of the A9 dualling scheme. |
Funding delay 'threatens Network North scheme'19/04/2024 A highway authority has called for ‘urgent discussions’ with the Government after a £95m bypass scheme promised ‘Network North’ top-up funding has suffered a further delay. |
Nottingham councillors back new Trent bridge18/04/2024 Nottingham councillors have given the green light to what will be the first new crossing built over the River Trent in the city in more than 60 years. |
DfT top official says carbon 'as high on agenda as ever'18/04/2024 The £30m ADEPT Live Labs 2 programme has celebrated its first year with a live Expo setting out its achievements. |
Nineteen-mile detour as M25 faces new closure18/04/2024 A section of the M25 will be shut for a full weekend for the second time this year as work on National Highways’ £317m Junction 10 scheme continues. |
Cornwall opens flagship bridge after curtailed active travel plans16/04/2024 A 'game changer' active travel bridge over the A30 in Cornwall is now open. |
Devon funds £24m freeport road16/04/2024 Councillors in Devon have given the go-ahead to a £24m road, largely funded by the county council’s own borrowing. |
Exclusive: A quarter of smart motorway schemes fall below safety benchmark16/04/2024 One in four stopped vehicle detection installations on smart motorways still failed to meet National Highways’ core performance requirements when re-tested last year. |
Auditors warned over relief road 'iceberg'15/04/2024 A councillor has asked Shropshire Council’s external auditor to investigate concerns the North West Relief Road (NWRR) in Shrewsbury will 'completely bankrupt the council'. |
National Highways makes push on smart motorway emergency areas15/04/2024 National Highways has announced plans to install 52 new emergency areas (EAs) on smart motorways in the South East as it faces a battle to meet a promise of 150 by next year. |
National Highways secures £50m digital transformation partnership12/04/2024 Digital services provider Version 1 has been named as National Highways' 'strategic long-term partner for managed services and collaboration'. |
Comment: The Highways Act (Amendment) Bill - reasonable versus possible11/04/2024 Highway consultant and chartered Civil Engineer Clive Hall discusses the potential impact of the Highways Act 1980 (Amendment) Bill. |
DfT calls on Treasury to bring Network North cash forward11/04/2024 The Department for Transport (DfT) is in negotiations with the Treasury over bringing forward a promised £8bn of ‘additional’ cash over the next nine years, a top official has revealed. |
In memoriam: Anthony Morter11/04/2024 It is with great sadness that Highways reports Anthony Morter Hon.FIAT, the former company secretary of the Institute of Asphalt Technology (IAT), has passed away. |
Marlborough sets sail in Greenwich10/04/2024 The Royal Borough of Greenwich has awarded Marlborough Highways a comprehensive highways term contract. |
Council parking income set to top £2bn10/04/2024 English Councils received nearly £2bn in income from on and off-street parking in 2022-23, but paid out nearly £1bn in running and enforcement costs. |
DfT trickles out cash for Hammersmith Bridge fix10/04/2024 The Government has given Hammersmith and Fulham council nearly £3m to provide a new cycle lane on Hammersmith Bridge but funding for a £250m permanent repair appears to have stalled. |
£55m slice of Cumberland sausage for local firm10/04/2024 Cumberland Council has awarded a local firm a three-year resurfacing contract valued at up to £55m. |
DfT warns councils over resurfacing cash plans10/04/2024 One in seven eligible highway authorities in England have failed to publish resurfacing plans by the Government's deadline. |
National Highways presses on with A303 works09/04/2024 National Highways has started preliminary work on its £2bn A303 Stonehenge tunnel scheme. |
Green Liverpool projects win European funding09/04/2024 Greening projects designed to complement new active travel routes in Liverpool will be funded by a European climate grant worth almost £80,000. |
Council responds to ‘Daventry Banksie’ pothole complaints08/04/2024 West Northamptonshire Council has responded to an anti-pothole protester with a computer-generated image of a roadside sign laden with song titles. |
Kier apologises over Zephaniah mural error08/04/2024 A council contractor has apologised after painting over a mural of the late poet and Peaky Blinders star Benjamin Zephaniah in central Birmingham. |
Patchy mobile signal could leave drivers empty at the EV pump08/04/2024 Britain’s patchy phone signal coverage means drivers of electric vehicles could fail to ‘fill up’ at thousands of chargepoints, new research has found. |
New concrete sensors use 'enhanced AI' to predict strength05/04/2024 Tarmac has launched a new system of digital sensors to optimise concrete mixes, lower carbon emissions and reduce on-site construction time, using 'AI-enhanced' analysis. |
All Roads Lead: Episode 5 ALARM Special05/04/2024 The All Roads Lead podcast speaks to Rick Green of the Asphalt Industry Alliance and Malcolm Simms of the Mineral Products Association about this year's ALARM survey results. |
Kier mobilises for £225m Somerset 'refresh'04/04/2024 Kier Transportation’s new £225m highways maintenance contract with Somerset Council has now begun, with many existing staff transferring to the new provider. |
DfT stalls moving traffic enforcement roll-out04/04/2024 The Department for Transport (DfT) has shelved the further roll-out of powers for English councils to enforce moving traffic violations. |
NEPO launches free survey procurement framework03/04/2024 The North East Public Buying Organisation, NEPO, has launched a free highways procurement framework for infrastructure survey solutions. |
Newcastle moves cycle barriers that blocked disabled access03/04/2024 Newcastle City Council has agreed to move a set of barriers after a disabled cyclist raised concerns that the design constituted indirect discrimination as it blocked his access to a cycle path. |
Four-year restoration works begin on iconic Tyne Bridge03/04/2024 Engineers have begun a £41m four-year project to restore the iconic Grade II listed Tyne Bridge. |
Northumberland protects against active landslip on B634402/04/2024 Northumberland County Council and principal contractor Bam Nuttall have completed engineering work on time and within budget to help safeguard against an active landslip. |
Breedon buys Midlands outfit Phoenix Surfacing02/04/2024 Construction material giant Breedon Group has acquired Phoenix Surfacing - an independent, multi-disciplined, surfacing contractor based in the Midlands. |
Mabey helps remove the doubt on M25 works28/03/2024 A monitoring system from Mabey Hire has produced an M25 success story – preventing congestion from unplanned closures by getting real-time data to decision-makers. |
Full Traffex programme goes live: 100 speakers, 5 CPD-accredited stages28/03/2024 Traffex – the UK’s leading road maintenance, traffic management and road safety event – has unveiled a packed conference programme for 2024 with over 100 speakers across five CPD-accredited stages. |
Oxfordshire signs first scheme under new 'brownfield fund'28/03/2024 Oxfordshire County Council is the first local authority to secure project funding through Homes England's Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land (BIL) Fund. |
Operation Brock goes live in preparation for Easter rush27/03/2024 Operation Brock is in force for the Easter bank holiday getaway, as National Highways lifts more than 850 miles of roadworks. |
14-month long major works on M4/M5 open in time for Easter27/03/2024 Work to improve safety on the M4 and M5 around Bristol is nearly complete, with roadworks on the M4 set to be removed ahead of the Easter getaway, National Highways has said. |
RAC Foundation/ADEPT: Record result in UK bridges poll27/03/2024 The latest RAC Foundation 'state of the nation' bridges survey has recorded the lowest proportion of substandard bridges since the poll began in 2016. |
Norfolk caught in bitter battle over bats26/03/2024 A council leader has launched a bitter attack on Natural England after the environment watchdog effectively blocked a £274m road scheme due to its impact on bats. |
VolkerFitzpatrick wins £38m Kent viaduct project25/03/2024 Kent County Council has appointed VolkerFitzpatrick to design and build a highway crossing over a rail line and river near Canterbury. |
BANES council extends VolkerHighways deal25/03/2024 Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) has extended its highways and street lighting maintenance contracts with VolkerHighways until 2029. |
In search of lost time: M25 delay estimates don't add up22/03/2024 National Highways' formal appraisal of its flagship M25 Junction 10 scheme significantly understated the impact and cost of delays during construction, a Highways investigation suggests. |
Finalists named in national road safety challenge21/03/2024 National Highways has revealed the finalists in a competition to find new ways of managing hazards on its network better. |
All Roads Lead: Episode 4 Budget Special21/03/2024 The All Roads Lead podcast speaks to Heather Jameson, editor of The MJ and one of the foremost commentators on all things local government, about the financial outlook for councils in the wake of the spring budget. |
DfT hands councils £38m for road safety21/03/2024 Ministers have announced £38.3m to improve the safety of 17 high risk local roads in England, taking the spending under the Safer Roads Fund beyond the £175m originally pledged. |
Highways Presents Re-flow: Taking digital collaboration to the next level21/03/2024 Highways speaks to Mike Saunders, CEO and co-founder of Re-flow, about the future of digital working in the roads sector. He gives expert insights on new ways to use data to better collaborate with supply chain partners and clients, the AI revolution, and which should come first - the data or the dream. |
Core wins A-star for safety frame21/03/2024 Core Highways has launched an innovation that could dramatically reduce the risk of injury to workers handling A-Frame signs. |
National Highways' chief strategist to headline Traffex21/03/2024 National Highways’ chief customer and strategy officer, Elliot Shaw, will present the opening keynote address at this year’s Traffex, which takes place at the CBS Arena in Coventry in May. |
Unprecedented M25 closure completes bridge demolition ahead of schedule21/03/2024 Balfour Beatty and National Highways re-opened the M25 ahead of the advertised time on Sunday following the first full closure of a section of the motorway since it opened. |
Winners of £40m signals cash announced20/03/2024 The Department for Transport has published the list of 80 councils sharing £40m to upgrade traffic signals. |
Booking now open for historic IHE Presidential Event19/03/2024 Booking is now open for the Institute of Highway Engineers's (IHE) prestigious Presidential Event - an evening of grandeur and celebration within the historic walls of Stirling Castle on Friday 21 June 2024. |
ALARM 2024: Record £16.3bn backlog reaching 'point of no return'19/03/2024 The carriageway repair bill for local roads in England and Wales has reached a record high of £16.3bn – double the promised £8bn funding uplift from the Government. |
DfT's Plan for Drivers gets into gear but public unsure of direction19/03/2024 A Department for Transport review of low traffic neighbourhoods has found little evidence of widespread opposition to LTNs, despite the Government's rhetoric. |
Essex plans to bring more maintenance oversight in-house15/03/2024 Essex County Council is planning to bring more highways maintenance in-house when procurement for a new contract starts next year. |
Shropshire tenders relief road build at £110m15/03/2024 Shropshire Council has admitted it has had no official communication from the Government to support its expectation that a controversial new road will be ‘fully funded’, as it tendered its construction with a price estimate of £110m. |
UK Roads Board chair warns financial uncertainty 'incredibly challenging'14/03/2024 With no government funding outlined for post-2025, the chair of the UK Roads Board has warned that financial uncertainty is making asset management 'incredibly challenging'. |
Norfolk seeks bidders for £600m highways deals14/03/2024 Norfolk County Council has begun market engagement for three highways term contracts worth a total of £612m. |
Balfour sees revenue rise but profits fall13/03/2024 Balfour Beatty has announced a ‘solid performance’ find 2023, with increased revenue but reduced profits. |
'Smarter not harder': National Highways trials 'intelligent compaction'13/03/2024 National Highways has trialled a new ‘Intelligent Compaction’ technology that tests whether the road's foundations have the required strength. |
Return of the white water lilies? Fresh work to boost biodiversity13/03/2024 National Highways is helping fund a major Devon County Council scheme to de-silt a lake within a Site of Special Scientific Interest alongside the A38. |
M25 sees more J10 disruption with full closure12/03/2024 The M25 will be closed for a full weekend for the first time ever from Friday as part of National Highways’ £317m M25 Junction 10 scheme. |
LTNs 'popular and effective', leak reveals11/03/2024 Low-traffic neighbourhoods are popular and effective, a leaked report from the Department for Transport has found. |
Value test for A66 scheme after DCO backed11/03/2024 The transport secretary has granted planning permission for National Highways’ £1.5bn A66 Scheme, but the project is rated as poor value for money and faces a further review of its business case. |
Trial seeks clear view of road stud's potential08/03/2024 Clearview Intelligence, in collaboration with the WJ Group, has begun live road trials on a new ‘click-in, click-out’ solar road stud. |
Frustration as Griffiths quits bypass job07/03/2024 Alun Griffiths has walked away from an £89m bypass project at Banwell in north Somerset only a month after the council was cleared to issue compulsory purchase orders and let the contractor on site. |
DfT bats away concerns over networks policy07/03/2024 The transport secretary has laid a revised policy statement on national road and rail networks before Parliament, providing a new framework for government to decide on English development consent applications. |
Pothole repair robot passes first road test07/03/2024 An autonomous highways repair robot has passed its first test outside of a lab environment in Hertfordshire, the county council has announced. |
Q&A: Challenges and opportunities for SRN electrification07/03/2024 In the run-up to Evex, the EV charging conference co-located with Traffex, Highways speaks to Liz Garlinge, strategic customer projects director at National Highways about the challenges and opportunities for SRN electrification. |
Budget: Trailblazer devo deal for North East06/03/2024 The North East has secured a trailblazer devolution deal that could provide a package of new funding potentially worth more than £100m, chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced in his Budget. |
Budget reaction: 'The general election will be crucial for infrastructure'06/03/2024 The 'place' and infrastructure sector has expressed dismay at the chancellor's latest Budget, suggesting that more long-term funding is desperately needed. |
Chancellor Hunt makes productivity push06/03/2024 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has unveiled a Budget with little respite for local government but demands for increased public sector productivity. |
Transport misses out in Spring Budget06/03/2024 With attention focused on tax cuts, Jeremy Hunt said almost nothing about transport spending in his Budget speech, while Treasury documents suggest a watering down of commitments to local roads. |
Signals cash announcement waits for green light06/03/2024 The Department for Transport is due to publish a list of councils that have won a share of £40m of new money to upgrade traffic signals by the end of March. |
Hunt confirms fuel duty freeze and wider energy investment06/03/2024 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has once again frozen fuel duty for 12 months - a move that has been a staple of Conservative governments since the start of the coalition. |
Under new management: The NWSRG and its Practical Guide05/03/2024 The National Winter Service Research Group (NWSRG) has been restructured and is starting a review process of its national guidance – the Practical Guide. With the support of Cold Comfort, which will host a gap analysis debate on the current chapters, the steering group and its associate members are setting a new course in climate resilience. Dominic Browne reports |
Sunderland autonomous shuttle prepares for launch04/03/2024 Self-driving shuttles have arrived in Sunderland and are set to transport passengers around the city this spring. |
Comment: Norse gives sector 'real alternative'04/03/2024 Norse Group CEO Justin Galliford introduces the company's re-structure and re-brand - a new set of values to a major partner in local government. |
Thermal Road Repairs becomes first SME with carbon accreditation04/03/2024 Thermal Road Repairs has gained PAS 2080 accreditation for its carbon management system – thought to be the first SME in highways to do so. |
Unlocking potential: The benefits of joining the National IHE Council01/03/2024 Ross Bullerwell, managing director at Real Highways, discusses his journey to the IHE Council from trepidation to celebration and the immense pride that comes with the role. |
Shropshire throws cash at NWRR as costs soar29/02/2024 Shropshire Council has agreed a further £17m capital funding for its Shrewsbury North West Relief Road (NWRR) as the controversial scheme faces a new threat of legal action. |
Aggregate Industries talkin' bout cold mix evolution29/02/2024 Materials supplier Aggregate Industries has launched its onsite asphalt material, Foamix Eco, which it says can achieve carbon neutral status. |
Update: 15 March deadline for publishing resurfacing plans29/02/2024 UPDATE: The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed that councils have until 15 March to publish resurfacing plans on their websites, following the Network North plan, which pledged £8.3bn over the next decade for local roads. |
EMCC realises 'dream' of sterile work environment on fast roads28/02/2024 A longstanding 'dream' of providing workers on fast roads with a 'safe and sterile' work environment has been realised through a new Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) standard. |
We need to talk about hands-free28/02/2024 Police officers are being encouraged to make drivers aware of the safety risks of using hands-free mobile phones at the wheel, based on the findings of new research. |
IHE Council nominations now open28/02/2024 The Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE) has recently opened nominations for several vacancies available on its National Council. |
More police forces join safety camera trial28/02/2024 A National Highways trial of new mobile technology to detect when drivers are using mobile phones or not wearing a seatbelt is being rolled out across the country. |
Guidance published for local bids to £20m ITS cash pot28/02/2024 The Department for Transport (DfT) has released guidance to help English local authorities and the supply chain with bids to win a share of the £20m Intelligent Traffic Management Fund (ITMF). |
Exclusive: One million hours of delays in six months - M25 scheme impact revealed28/02/2024 New data obtained by Highways shows the impact of the £317m M25 Junction 10 scheme, with vehicles delayed by nearly a quarter of a million hours in just one month. |
Exclusive: A quarter of smart motorway schemes fall below safety benchmark
Call to scrap All Lane Running as smart motorway deaths rise
Funding delay 'threatens Network North scheme'
