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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 maintenance 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. |
£4.7bn local transport cash to support 'smaller cities and towns'26/02/2024 Local authorities in the North and Midlands have a year to prepare plans for a £4.7bn Local Transport Fund, which is mainly capital funding and can be used for road schemes. |
IHE and Highways magazine sign new Professional Development Partnership23/02/2024 Highways magazine and the Institute of Highway Engineers have signed a new Professional Development Partnership (PDP), strengthening their longstanding relationship at the heart of the sector. |
Swindon dims 18,000 lights to save 25% on electric bill23/02/2024 Swindon Borough Council has announced plans to dim around 18,000 street lights from this week, to achieve up to 25% savings in electricity. |
Bizarre turn: DfT keeps 'transparency' plans private23/02/2024 The Government has adjusted the timetable for local authorities to publish resurfacing schemes on their websites following the Network North plan, which pledged £8.3bn over the next decade for local roads. |
National Highways celebrates High Court Stonehenge scheme win23/02/2024 National Highways has won a legal judgement in the High Court over the secretary of state for transport’s decision to grant the Development Consent Order for the A303 Stonehenge scheme. |
Transport secretary names new National Highways chair22/02/2024 Sir Gareth Rhys Williams has been appointed by the transport secretary as the new National Highways chair. |
Government wins in Court of Appeal on £450m worth of schemes22/02/2024 Court of Appeal judges have given the go-ahead on development consent orders (DCOs) for three National Highways schemes potentially worth a total of £450m. |
£100m M27 scheme at risk22/02/2024 A proposal to revamp junction 10 of the M27 in Hampshire to support the Welborne Garden Village development is under threat due to escalating costs. |
Visitor registration is now open for Traffex22/02/2024 Free visitor registration is now open for Traffex, the UK’s leading traffic and transport event, taking place on the 22-23 May 2024. |
Hill and Smith: 200 years of engineering history21/02/2024 Hill and Smith PLC celebrates its 200th anniversary this year - a huge landmark for perhaps the most historic and certainly one of the most important companies in the highways sector. |
RSMA signs 'Fairness, Inclusion and Respect' partnership20/02/2024 The RSMA has become the first highways trade association to sign a formal partnership with the Supply Chain Sustainability School under the industry-wide Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) programme. |
Scottish Government leads stellar Cold Comfort Scotland line-up20/02/2024 This April, the Scottish Government will be headlining Cold Comfort Scotland, the country's leading winter service and climate resilience conference. |
Traffex: A festival of traffic and transport16/02/2024 The UK’s leading traffic and transport event is moving to the CBS Arena in Coventry this May and co-locating with a feast of partner conferences to give the sector everything it needs all under one roof, every year. |
All Roads Lead podcast: Contract leagues special16/02/2024 A very special episode of the Highways Magazine podcast All Roads Lead, as we reveal the Top 10 contractors in our contract league for 2023. Who won the most value in their order book? Have a listen and find out. |
Robotic dog used to hunt down geotechnical surveys16/02/2024 National Highways is trialling a robotic dog as part of survey work alongside its South West road network. |
Sheffield to spend £1m CAZ funds on air quality15/02/2024 An estimated £1m raised through Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone will be used to improve air quality near schools, the city council has said. |
Harris leads anti-littering campaign to address 'social problem’14/02/2024 National Highways has launched a 'long-awaited' campaign to highlight its work to deal with litter dropped along its network as it faces a trial in September over the issue. |
ORR opens full investigation into National Highways after 'recurring issues'14/02/2024 The roads monitor has opened up a wide-ranging investigation into National Highways' performance, which it says has dipped in a number of areas. |
National Infrastructure Commission to investigate connected and autonomous mobility14/02/2024 The National Infrastructure Commission is launching a study on connected and autonomous mobility (CAM), with a focus on improving road safety and accessibility and reducing congestion. |
Comment: HS2 barrier operations target efficiency and safety13/02/2024 Anna Blake, marketing manager at barrier provider Solar Gates UK, discusses the operational support solutions the firm has provided for the mammoth HS2 project. |
Unlock potential of frameworks, CECA boss says12/02/2024 The chief executive of UK’s Civil Engineering Contractors Association has warned that contract frameworks are not being used to their full potential to boost collaboration and productivity in the sector. |
Ministers stall on pavement parking, despite pledge12/02/2024 The Department for Transport (DfT) has refused to say when it will make a decision on giving councils the power to ban pavement parking, amid criticism that it has ‘sat on’ the issue for over three years. |
Conway wins top International safety award09/02/2024 FM Conway has won a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award – considered to be one of the top road safety awards in the world. |
BAM gets in shape for 'dumbbell' junction exercise09/02/2024 A major improvement scheme at two junctions that will pave the way for the expansion of a business park in County Durham is now underway. |
Historic bridge 'never needed' controversial works08/02/2024 National Highways has admitted that controversial infilling works at a historic railway bridge, which then had to be removed at a total cost hundreds of thousands of pounds, might never have been needed in the first place. |
Live Labs 2 goes live with Birmingham expo08/02/2024 A 'must-attend' event in April will bring together the key parties in ADEPT’s £30m Live Labs 2 programme, which is trialling new ways to accelerate the decarbonisation of local highways infrastructure and assets. |
Traffic signals cash to get amber light this month06/02/2024 Officials are battling to keep to the timetable for sharing out £40m of Government funding to help English local authorities update their traffic signal equipment after nearly all eligible councils applied. |
Council sued after cyclist hits pothole06/02/2024 Staffordshire County Council is facing legal action after the triathlete Paul Hughes hit a pothole while cycling breaking multiple bones and damaging a lung. |
UK risks being stuck in EV ‘slow lane’06/02/2024 The Government must do much more to speed up the transition to electric vehicles if it is to meet its net zero targets, including extending support for the rollout of charging infrastructure. |
‘Show Us The Money’: Campaigners demand funding answers06/02/2024 Shropshire Council has declined to give an updated cost for its North West Relief Road (NWRR) scheme, which campaigners say could cost more than £200m. |
Ministers did not stop LTNs receiving cash06/02/2024 Officials have confirmed that last year’s allocation of £200m government funding for cycling and walking excluded low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) because no LTN bid matched funding criteria rather than because ministers had blocked such schemes. |
Councils 'have tightened pothole payout criteria'05/02/2024 Compensation paid by councils for damage caused by potholes has fallen by more than a half, with some giving out ‘next to nothing’, according to a new analysis of official data. |
Row as DfT leaves Tyne councils £6m short02/02/2024 The roads minister has failed to confirm a funding uplift for works to the Tyne Bridge and Newcastle’s Central Motorway from redistributed HS2 savings, despite claiming that the scheme is part of the Government's widely-ridiculed 'Network North'. |
Kiely mixes business with pleasure with Parliament drop-in01/02/2024 The Kiely Group has held a drop-in session in Parliament to give MPs and peers the opportunity to discuss the hot topic of potholes and how to prevent them. |
Devon 'pushing boundaries' with gully sensors01/02/2024 Devon County Council has launched an 18-month trial of gully sensors that aims to investigate how smart technology can help reduce the impact of flooding across the county. |
OBR slams Government spending pledges as 'worse than fiction'01/02/2024 The chair of the fiscal responsibility watchdog has described the Government's spending plans beyond 2025 as 'worse than fiction' - pouring cold water on hopes of a local roads boost. |
National Highways sits on scheme delay data31/01/2024 National Highways has refused to disclose data on the impact of its £317m M25 Junction 10 scheme, as it warned of further disruption throughout the coming year. |
TfL hands boroughs £80m for streets31/01/2024 Transport for London (TfL) has announced up to £80.4m for boroughs to improve public transport, make walking and cycling safer and create new school streets. |
Hants seeks to avoid cost risk on £125m scheme31/01/2024 Hampshire County Council is facing a funding gap on the A326 North Waterside Improvements scheme, if cost increases go beyond a current estimate of £125m. |
Council revamps emissions-based parking costs30/01/2024 Westminster City Council will revamp its parking schemes so that residents and visitors are charged based on their vehicles’ tailpipe emissions. |
National Highways levels up surface on M2730/01/2024 A two-year, £48m project to overlay the concrete surface of a section of the M27 with a lower-noise asphalt is set to begin next week. |
Telent takes SRN connectivity into the future30/01/2024 Telent has secured an extension to its contract with National Highways to operate the strategic road network's digital connectivity until 2027 in a deal worth an estimated £225m. |
Collaborative 'ongoing trial' on A303 'to make our roads safer'29/01/2024 National Highways has introduced a lower speed limit to improve safety and address severance on a single carriageway section of the A303 through a Wiltshire village. |
Careless driving costs...bridges29/01/2024 Work started this week to demolish a bridge over the M42 that has been hit 20 times in the last 10 years and twice in a single week. |
Edinburgh first to enforce pavement parking ban29/01/2024 Edinburgh City Council has become the first local authority in Scotland to enforce a ban on pavement parking. |
Countdown ticking on £2bn Herts deal26/01/2024 Contractors have only a month left to express interest in a mammoth £1.95bn term maintenance contract with Hertfordshire. |
All Roads Lead Podcast: Episode 226/01/2024 Changes to traffic regulation orders, a debate over who is going to pay for a road in Shropshire and £1bn for Tees Valley transport - it must be the second episode of Highways magazine's All Roads Lead podcast. |
Councils get new steer on motorbikes in bus lanes26/01/2024 The Department for Transport has updated its guidance for councils on allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes. |
'CAZ working' Rees claims, but NO2 still in breach26/01/2024 Air pollution in Bristol is still above legal limits after the city council brought in a Clean Air Zone that exempts private vehicles. |
Winvic off to a strong start in Lincolnshire25/01/2024 Contractor Winvic Construction has handed over its first project under its highways framework contract with Lincolnshire County Council. |
Branston's £8m junction gets it out of a pickle (with no more jam)25/01/2024 An £8m scheme to improve a key Staffordshire junction is set to begin next month. |
Harris: Smart motorway refuge planning 'very advanced'24/01/2024 National Highways boss Nick Harris has told MPs that the government-owned company has still only retrofitted 13 emergency areas (EAs) on smart motorways but insisted he is ‘confident’ of meeting the target of 150 by next March. |
Worth the weight: National Highways installs 92-tonne footbridge on M2522/01/2024 National Highways is halfway through the installation of a new 91-metre, 92 tonne footbridge across the M25 in Surrey, part of its £317m Junction 10 upgrade. |
Can we achieve 'carbon negative' asphalt? Aggregate Industries says yes22/01/2024 Aggregate Industries has completed a trial of its new Foamix product, which it said paves the way for carbon-negative asphalt. |
Shropshire beats partial retreat over 'misrepresentation' claims22/01/2024 Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for highways has conceded that the Environment Agency did not state that the risk to Shrewsbury’s water supply from a new road would be ‘minimal’, as he had claimed. |
Ringway signs up for Econ's electric gritters after impressive UK tour22/01/2024 Econ Engineering has secured a contract with Ringway for its revolutionary fully electric-powered E-QCB (Electric Quick Change Body) gritter. |
All Roads Lead Podcast: Episode 118/01/2024 Pothole robots, record-breaking asphalt recycling, and a ban on carbon offsetting - all hot topics for the first episode of the All Roads Lead podcast from Highways magazine - the leading publication for UK roads. |
£1bn Tees Valley transport package puts focus on roads17/01/2024 Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen has unveiled a £1bn transport package for the region, funded by City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement cash, with the majority set aside for roads. |
Clean Up Britain brings UK-first court case over motorway litter16/01/2024 National Highways is being taken to court in its own backyard over its alleged failure to deal with litter dropped along its network. |
Digital TROs confirmed: Biggest shake-up to network management in a generation16/01/2024 The Department for Transport is pressing ahead with legislative and regulatory plans to digitise English Traffic Regulation Orders in one of the largest shake-ups to local network management in two generations. |
National Highways takes new appeal on the chin16/01/2024 Broadcaster Chris Packham and former government advisor Sir David King have backed a key legal challenge against three major road schemes as a Court of Appeal hearing begins on Tuesday. |
East Renfrewshire begins £23m 'waterside promenade' scheme16/01/2024 Construction work on a £23m road upgrade in East Renfrewshire has begun, with the road now closed until the end of the year. |
HS2 boss and MPs joust over compensation for 'completely destroyed' roads16/01/2024 Buckinghamshire Council has pledged to hold HS2 Ltd to account to secure compensation for damage to its highway network from HGVs helping build the high-speed rail line. |
Essex plans to bring maintenance in-house
Value test for A66 scheme after DCO backed
Shropshire tenders relief road build at £110m