Fresh from the success of the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) annual conference, chief executive Mike Hansford gives an overview of where we stand and looks ahead to a series of Highways/RSTA workshops that have attracted the support of the Department for Transport and national roads authorities in the devolved nations.
1) What were the key lessons from the RSTA conference this year? (Picture below)
There were themes throughout the day of raising standards, promoting and implementing best practice, and driving collaboration and innovation. The importance of looking after our mental wellbeing was also a really important topic.
2) There was an update on the code of practice review: what are your thoughts on the apparent direction and how it is shaping up?
It is just a review of the existing Code. We've had some really valued input from the volunteers involved in the working groups. The work has made the content more orderly, up-to-date, and will be easier to read. I think there is real merit in a ‘risk-based approach' which is maintained in the Code, which for example means using data to do more targeted maintenance, and there's some great examples around the country where this has been successfully adopted. And why I have been pushing to include references to example best practice case studies in the new Code.
3) Why should the sector attend the upcoming Highways /RSTA workshops across the UK?
When I speak about raising standards and implementing best practice innovations etc, we need open discussions about how we achieve this, and what some of the blockers might be. These events will facilitate those discussions and hopefully set up a mandate about how we move forward. We need our roads to be more resilient but equally more sustainable – and I think the tools are there – so we need to discuss why they aren't being used more consistently across the UK.
4) The DfT has shown support for these workshops. How do these events play into the wider policy agenda? Will they help authorities secure more funding through the incentive cash?
Government has followed through on its promise to increase funding and secure a longer-term commitment. In return, the DfT wants to ensure it's invested wisely and there is recognition that some of the issues may be linked to skills shortages. Therefore an emphasis on upskilling the sector is essential so more informed decisions can be made about maintenance strategy and treatments. The Government's priority is to improve the road network and they want to see this longer-term, increased investment used to maximum effect – hence the references to seeing evidence of preventative maintenance in the transparency reporting.
5) The workshops are looking at the future of maintenance: what are the key benchmarks/foundations that an authority needs to have in place to maximise performance?
Most of this comes back to good asset management - having a clear documented strategy that links to corporate/service priorities/goals, and a focus on developing asset knowledge (something referenced in the NAR). That should filter down into a clear documented plan of how you will achieve those outcomes. A clear performance framework should define what criteria will be monitored to evaluate that performance. There should be defined targets, so the authority can evaluate performance periodically. And this could (and should) link to network condition, road safety, and carbon reduction.
6) The workshops hope to provide a safe space for clients and the supply chain to discuss new ideas: what do you think should be general practice in terms of collaboration in our sector but is not yet business as usual?
I think the missing piece in many cases has been a lack of knowledge on the part of clients. An intelligent client will discuss and collaborate with their supply chain partners, but there are some highway authorities who don't have that level of knowledge to input into that process. I think there need to be a significant upsklilling of our sector so clients can discuss more confidently with the supply chain, put together specifications/tender documents etc.
7) Can you give us some of the highlights from the RSTA elements of these workshop events?
We're gong to be focusing on methods of preventative maintenance, permanent patching and end of life options for roads. We will discuss the benefits of each, include some case studies from highway authorities that are maximising their maintenance funding, investing in these principles, and hopefully dispel some of the myths and misinformation around these treatments.
8) How do you see the balance between funding levels and technical education? Putting it simply: can we turn things around without any extra cash?
We urgently need to upskill our sector. We have lots of new technicians, engineers and asset managers but some experienced engineers are just stuck in the traditional way of doing things. If we continue to haemorrhage money on safety repairs (potholes – especially temporary repairs) and resurfacing/reconstruction using conventional methods, the money runs out pretty quick.
If we start investing in cold recycling of end-of-life roads for example, that will save large sums of money, while using materials already bought and paid for in the construction of our new roads. This will also reduce carbon. Then there's more money to invest in roads in good to fair condition using preventative maintenance, which is lower cost.
Roads we're constructing/resurfacing now could be treated with preservation/rejuvenation in five years' time, so they stay in ‘as new' condition. It sounds utopian but that's exactly what we did in in my former authority. We're only then resurfacing the roads that we have to. Even being more proactive with planned patching will save money on expensive and unpredictable reactive safety repairs.
9) What should authorities be doing to make the most of the four year funding horizon for the £7.3bn highways maintenance block 2026-2030?
Capture condition data and do the lifecycle projections, modelling different scenarios, to convince senior decision makers to determine an agreed strategy.
Essentially, re-evaluate the existing strategy. Could you be doing things differently?
10) What was your reaction to the ALARM survey results? A depressing headline – but do you think the sector is improving its asset management?
I'd like to understand whether that figure includes the use of preventative treatments in addressing the backlog. The departure from preventative maintenance over the past two decades has played a huge part in the decline of the network. I like to focus on the solutions and not only does the use of preventative treatments see roads managed in better condition, but you just see far wider network coverage.
There are authorities that have a robust asset management approach and equally there are authorities that need to improve. I still see examples of poor practice, some of which may be policy (e.g. temporary repairs) and in some cases roads are being resurfaced where a lower cost/lower carbon solution could have been a better option.
11) How much variety of performance do you see across the country?
I think the Government highlighted this in the maintenance ratings – though I know there has been some challenge to these scores.
One authority in the red, has some absolutely diabolical end of life roads – but hasn't yet engaged in any recycling, when this would be an ideal solution. Another sizeable authority uses no preventative treatments and their roads are just left to deteriorate. These are the authorities that want to continue doing things the way they've always done it, and don't recognise the opportunities available.
I have been really encouraged by some local authorities, all in different stages of their journey, really engaging with the RSTA to seek support in looking at opportunities to do things differently. And this is why we have committed to giving our time to working with those authorities.
12) You have a strong personal experience of turning around a challenging network into a high performing one: what was your strategy to your success?
Good asset management, good asset data, filling knowledge gaps, then conducting lifecycle projections – presenting this information to Cllrs and getting them on board (we secured a considerable sum of additional corporate maintenance funding through this process).
Adopting innovative treatments: when I took up my strategic role we were resurfacing and surface dressing. We went on to adopt preservation/rejuvenation, pencilling in planned dates from date of construction/resurfacing. We started using microsurfacing, including CAUTS on higher use roads.
We started our journey with cold recycling and learned some lessons along the way – but in the end we were reconstructing roads for less cost and less carbon. We also trialled new patching methods (SIP, thermal, PMMA screed).
We had a £5m programme of surface treatments one year. When I calculated the cost of a conventional asphalt equivalent over the same area, it would have cost £18m. There was also a 75% carbon saving associated with the same comparison. Utilising developments in technology enabled us to use AI to identify sites for planned patching, to drive down reactive maintenance.
