Comment: £8.3bn present is for a lifetime - not just for christmas

15/12/2023 |

Steve White, head of public sector at Causeway Technologies, looks at how local authorities can prepare for the sudden windfall of an additional £8.3bn funding package over 11 years.

Transport secretary Mark Harper called it 'the biggest ever funding uplift for local road improvements'. The question is, are local authorities ready to make the most of it? 

Given the road maintenance funding shortfall local authorities have faced for the last decade, this sudden investment is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver real change for road users.

It’s vital that local authorities seek optimal paths to delivery. According to the latest figures from the Asphalt Industry Alliance, the current road maintenance backlog in England and Wales equates to £14bn.

Moreover, nearly one in five local roads in England and Wales are in such poor condition that they have fewer than five years of life remaining.

Don't underestimate digital solutions

When Causeway conducted research with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) about digital transformation in roads maintenance, it became clear that progress in adopting new technologies was limited to date.

From Causeway’s experience, a dramatic underestimation of the capabilities of the latest solutions compared to traditional asset management methodologies and legacy systems plays a role within local authorities.

What is now on the table for asset managers goes far beyond improving current schemes and addressing day-to-day issues. Gone are the days of standing around a map, plotting out assets and work plans.

The latest systems bring together a multitude of information regarding assets and operations to gain invaluable insights and deliver optimized maintenance strategies with ease, addressing short and long-term objectives and the needs of road users.

For example, Causeway’s asset management team recently worked with Brent Council to clear their pothole backlog. We partnered with Vaisala who carried out a video survey, identifying the potholes using their Road AI system. This took less than a week.

The survey data was analysed in Causeway Horizons, which generated prioritised work plans for the contractor two weeks after the project began. Using jet patching technology, within three months they had filled in around 5,000 potholes.

Once asset information is analysed in Causeway Horizons, it can generate multi-year schemes for road asset management almost instantly. These schemes can be sent to an operational asset management system that can turn them into work plans pushed out to field teams via mobile applications. All this can be done with minimal human input and automatically adapted in real-time to changing circumstances.

Adapting to local priorities

Beyond day-to-day operation, this system has huge benefits for local authority budget holders looking to demonstrate spending plans to council leaders. They can easily create multiple long-term plans and easy-to-understand visualisations to demonstrate what would be achieved with different budgets and priorities.

For instance, if a council wants to focus on improving road assets around a town centre, it's possible to show what progress would look like in 10 years compared to a scheme focused on residential areas – demonstrating exactly what the council would get for their money.

Once agreed upon, a scheme can be translated straight into an operational project and systems like Causeway’s Alloy can feed back to improve scheme modelling, generating even more value for local authorities and creating an automated feedback loop of continuous improvement.

The resources saved by doing this are huge. In one example, Causeway was able to secure Fife Council a remarkable 80% saving in time, as printed work requests, lengthy handovers, and manual input into systems no longer constrained repair crews.

Between August 2020 and December 2022, Fife Council completed 24,178 carriageway patching jobs - a notable improvement on previous rates and a big step towards reducing longstanding backlogs.

Moving beyond single asset management

Increasingly, the latest digital solutions also allow the full integration of different types of assets. This allows organisations to track multiple asset types and service areas in the same system, allowing for easy comparison of performance and behaviour across services.

This means plans can combine road maintenance, streetlights, trees, footpaths, cycleways and more. Much of this work can be automated in real time and updated to consider work that might be taking place across the different asset types. This eliminates crossover works and avoids localized disruption caused by concurrent or conflicting works.

The widening digital gap

Local authorities that are not engaging with the latest planning solutions are missing opportunities presented by new funding. Antiquated planning methods for road repairs have been holding some road maintenance teams back for years while those that have invested in digitalisation are already pulling ahead – the new funding will widen this gap.

Local authorities need to assess their processes today and ask whether they have the solutions in place to bring real value to motorists when the new funding is allocated.

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Director of Transport

£112,924
East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) is on a bold journey. East Midlands Region
Recruiter: East Midlands Combined County Authority

Ferry Host - WMF3049i

£25,584 - £25,992
Ferry Host - WMF3049i Windermere, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Director of Streetscene

£94,972 - £108,767
We continue to have big ambitions for our borough Fareham, Hampshire
Recruiter: Fareham Borough Council

Principal Engineer - Urban Traffic Control (UTC)

£44,711 - £49,764
Liverpool is home to vibrant, energetic and engaged communities. Liverpool, Merseyside
Recruiter: Liverpool City Council

Roadworker/Driver

Grade 6 £25,183 - £25,638 per annum (Pay Award Pending)
We’re looking for Roadworker/trainee LGV drivers to be part of our team Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Project Chargehand (2 Posts)

Grade 9 £31,344 - £33,253 per annum (Pay Award Pending)
We’re looking for experienced Project Chargehands to be part of the Highways Construction Services team Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Lawyer 2- Planning and Highways

£49,764 - £54,181
We are looking for a fresh thinking and enthusiastic Planning and Highways Lawyer Hereford, Herefordshire
Recruiter: Herefordshire Council

Development Engineer

£35,967 - £41,268 per annum
Are you ready to play a key role in shaping and safeguarding the future of our highways and public spaces? Bexley (City/Town), London (Greater)
Recruiter: London Borough of Bexley

Professional Services Partnering Manager

Grade 13 £47,653 - £51,296 per annum (pay award pending)
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Professional Services Partnering Manager to lead the strategic management Darley Dale, Matlock
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Technical Supervision Manager

Grade 13 £47,653 - £51,296 per annum (pay award pending)
We are looking for an experienced and driven Technical Supervision Manager to lead our technical supervision teams within the Highways Service. Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Street Lighting Electrician (CDC)

Grade 8, £32,662 - £36,239 (pay award pending)
Highways Operations is a growing service area within the Place directorate. Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Recruiter: City Of Doncaster Council

Highways Assistant Engineer WMF2133e

£39,513 to £40,476
We have an exciting opportunity for the right person to work within the challenging and ever-changing landscape. Penrith, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Highways Inspector/NRSWA

£36,345 - £40,344
We are looking for an organised and self-motivated individual to join our Streetworks Team based in Hackney Central. Hackney, London (Greater)
Recruiter: London Borough of Hackney Council

Structures Commissioner

Grade 14 £53,166 - £59,080 per annum (Pay Award Pending)
We are seeking an experienced and strategic leader to join our team as the Structures Commissioner. Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Team Leader Network Co-ordination

£51,429 - £58,140
As Team Leader for Network Coordination, you’ll manage a team that oversees all works and events on our public highways. Kensington and Chelsea, London (Greater)
Recruiter: The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council

PRINCIPAL TRANSPORT PLANNING OFFICER

£43693 - £46731
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced professional to join our team in Hull as a Principal Transport Planning Officer. Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Recruiter: Hull City Council

HIGHWAYS AND TRAFFIC ENGINEER - 4 POSTS

£43693 - £46731
We have several exciting opportunities for suitably qualified Highways Civil Engineers and Traffic Engineers Wilson Centre, 1st floor, Hull HU1 2AG
Recruiter: Hull City Council

Principal Transport Planner

£45,718 to £49,764
Do you have considerable experience in the transport strategy and policy, and are you looking for your next career development opportunity? Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Recruiter: Sheffield City Council

Project Lead - Bridges and Structures WMF3037e

£45,718 to £46,731
We are currently seeking to recruit a Project Lead to join our Bridges and Structures team Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Latest Video

Subscribe to Highways today to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening in the UK road network throughout the year.

SUBSCRIBE NOW