Government unveils £6.1Bn upgrade for motorways and major A roads A substantial £6.1Bn programme of improvements has been unveiled as part of an ongoing £23Bn upgrade to England’s existing road network. The landmark amount was revealed by Transport Minister Jesse Norman, who later highlighted the benefits of such large-scale investment. In the immediate future, motorists can expect to see shorter journey times, less congestion and increased capacity, thanks in part to this considerable sum. Among the projects announced was the preferred route for a new A19 Downhill Lane junction near Newcastle. Crucially, these roadworks will improve accessibility to an up-andcoming international manufacturing park and strengthen the local economy, which the Government is understandably keen to encourage. Over the next six months, Central Government means to take forward 55 such projects across the country. Of these, eight will open to road-goers, ten will enter into public consultation and 29 will have their plans officially published. According to Transport Minister, Jesse Norman: “Road users across England should soon be seeing the benefits of these improvements in their daily lives, which are designed to link people better with their jobs, friends, family and local amenities, as well as connecting businesses with customers. “Over the next six months we expect to roll out our vital upgrade plan – taking the next steps on £6.1Bn worth of schemes and seeking to hear from local people, organisations and businesses to help shape our plans and ensure they benefit local communities. “And shortly I also plan to announce the winners of the 2017 to 2018 highways maintenance challenge fund, where the Government will be investing £75M to improve smaller local roads including through resurfacing, filling potholes and other infrastructure projects.” For the uninitiated, Mr Norman’s announcement marks a continuation of the ‘Road Investment Strategy: 2015 to 2020’, which maps out how billions of pounds will be spent to improve road infrastructure in the run-up to 2021. Responsibility for that investment now rests with Highways England, the organisation in charge of motorways 2
and main trunk roads nationwide. “Highways England is committed to delivering the Government’s investment programme to improve the strategic road network,” said Highways England Chief Executive Jim O’Sullivan. “These milestones are critical elements of our current work and we are extremely pleased that we are on track to deliver them.” To date, reaction to the announcement has been extremely positive. AA President Edmund King was among the many hailing this investment: “Drivers will welcome this much needed investment on some of the nation’s most important routes. As well as increasing capacity and smoothing traffic flow, we believe that significant road safety benefits can be to be achieved, especially with the A1 improvements. “Following full consultations we hope
that the proposed upgrades can be made quickly so drivers can reap the benefits.” Those sentiments were echoed by Steve Gooding, Director of the RAC Foundation: “The first five-year road investment strategy reassured millions of drivers and businesses that their long-term travel needs were at last being taken seriously and provided for. But the fear has always been that road programmes, like the morning mists, have a tendency to fade away before our eyes. “This latest unveiling is therefore a particularly welcome demonstration that the promised money is not only available but is being spent on schemes that really matter, and that our calls to remember the local roads – where our journeys begin and end – are being heard.” UK Construction Online will have more information as and when these projects occur.
Second annual assessment of Highways England launched
The second annual assessment of Highways England has taken place and the findings are largely positive. According to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the highway authority is hitting many of its key performance and efficiency indicators, though improvement is needed if the organisation is to better manage exactly when its works take place. ORR, the official monitor of Highways England, found that the authority had kept traffic flowing throughout 2016/17, despite numerous large-scale improvement programmes. There was a renewed focus on wellbeing too, with a comprehensive health and safety plan currently in the works. Financially, Highways England is beginning to deliver its schemes more effectively, with savings of £169M recorded over the past two years. There were some missteps however, as Highways England narrowly fell short of its 2016/17 targets for road user satisfaction and overall network condition. Driver satisfaction fell to 89.1% – down from 89.3% last year – against a target of 90%, while the percentage of road in good working order was
94.3%, against a target of 95%. ORR will continue to monitor performance in these areas over the coming months. Promisingly, Highways England has taken the necessary steps to improve the planning of major infrastructure projects – a recommendation made by ORR in both its 2015/16 annual assessment and the update report that followed last February. It is thought that the new measures will reduce disruption to road users and ease delivery constraints, providing the supply chain with a much more robust schedule of work while also helping to deliver on future efficiency targets. Additionally, ORR has reviewed a sample of major Highways England schemes and assessed exactly how the authority manages its existing assets. In doing so, ORR is not only able to identify areas of best practice but also opportunities for improvement. To its credit, Highways England has responded positively to this feedback and has assured stakeholders that it will address any and all issues raised. Joanna Whittington, Chief Executive of ORR, was on hand to explain more: “Highways England has three main priorities: safety of road users and road
workers, road user satisfaction, and delivery of the five year investment plan. The company will need to continue to work hard to achieve all three of these, while keeping on top of maintenance and renewals and meeting its £1.2Bn savings target by 2020. “We nevertheless welcome the company’s response to our concerns over the need to develop better plans for major improvement schemes. Highways England has also responded positively to recommendations from our in-depth review of how it manages its assets. Improvements that the company is planning in these areas will help deliver a better experience for road users and cost savings for taxpayers.” But what happens next? ORR has made clear that the authority needs to shore up its processes and demonstrate its commitment to delivering the right package of maintenance and renewals in order to ensure the road network is in good working order. The onus is now on Highways England to see that the appropriate steps are taken. The driving public can expect an answer in July 2018.
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Making lives Easier After nearly 50 years in the vehicle hire industry we understand that our customers need the right vehicle in the right specification. We also know that if we can offer vehicles which make the working lives of the operatives easier and safer then our customers will keep coming back to us, that’s why we have over 1800 customers nationwide. We have a diverse fleet of over 16,000 vehicles ranging from cars, standard and specialist LCVs and HGVs and plant. We also have the largest 4x4 hire fleet in Europe as well as the biggest hire fleet of HGV tippers and crane lorries in the UK, plus with our acquisition of Acklea we are able to build and supply the full array of highways vehicles. It is through our diverse fleet that we can ensure you have all the vehicles you need for the highways industry. The majority of our traffic management vehicles come with additional safety features as standard
to ensure the operatives stay safe and to make their working lives more efficient. For instance, a percentage of vehicles have three point access as and where required and alternative access via dropwells. We are able to supply specialist converted vehicles with side-mounted tail lifts for ease of loading 750 cones or we have lower bodied vehicles to ensure loading of cones is as swift and easy as possible. These not only make the working environment safer but they
save the operatives’ time and from expelling unwarranted energy having to navigate the vehicle. We are able to utilise our in-house fabricators or at the point of order from the manufacturers can remove the rear seats to turn the doublecab into a utility cab for the storage of PPE and tools. If you prefer not to lose the space that the doublecab offers we can incorporate pods instead; we are able to add pods to
as a microwave, hot water boiler a variety of vehicles not just doubleand fresh cold water and even a cab vehicles. We can also supply our vehicles with kitchen sink. Situated at the rear of the welfare vehicles the following features We are able to use our to provide privacy is to aid the operatives in their working in-house fabricators to the toilet facilities. The environment or for turn a double-cab into vehicles are imperative for remote working heightened safety: a utility cab conditions or where access is problematic. • Fall arrests • In-vehicle cameras and display To further support the highways screens industry to allow our customers • Hand controls on both sides of to maximise the time restrictions the vehicle • The night owl – a flood light with which are often in place we use our a high level of area scene lighting in-house fleet of mobile technicians. They can respond to call outs within with low vehicle current draw 60-90 minutes and are authorised by leading To ensure the operatives have time to recuperate throughout their manufacturers to repair vehicles at the side of shifts they can utilise our welfare the road rather than vehicles, each come with a seating having to resort to area and kitchen equipment such
dealership repairs. We come to you to keep you moving! Contact SHB Hire Ltd. Website: www.shb.co.uk Tel: 01794 511 458
Scorpions save Lives!
Acklea, a division of SHB Hire Ltd, is the UK’s leading traffic management vehicle specialist and has the ability to support all customer requests. Acklea have been operating for 14-years and have been able to build upon knowledge over the years to become a prominent voice within the industry. They are regularly building vehicles to personalised specification to ensure the highest safety standards are achieved and vehicles can include all or some of the following at the customer’s request, cameras, colour monitors (recordable, if required), microphones and infrared for all round vision with the inclusion of the control on the support vehicle. They can also include boxes for sand bags, lights and spider legs as well as cone storage on the bed of the vehicle. Acklea have incorporated a unique racking system for the storage of signs or they can be restrained to the bed of the vehicle. Not only do they ensure the vehicles come with all the modern technologies available they also
utilise the world famous Scorpion crash cushion. The Scorpion is tested to the most stringent tests and has passed more than any other in the UK. It is the first in the USA to have been tested and passed AASHTO’s MASH and it is exclusively only available through Acklea. It is also the only crash cushion to be tested at the new 70mph speed test and has passed all mandatory tests in the UK. The manufacturers are so confident in its ability they have put it through the optional requirements where it, again, passed in the NCHRP-350 such as the 3-50, 3-51 and optional tests 3-52, 3-53 plus the UK test TD49/07 at 110km/h or 70mph.
What makes the Scorpion so safe? It’s the unique modular design that is the secret to the Scorpion’s safety ability and beats all competition from other crash cushions. The unique curvature design redirects the vehicle impact away from the corner of the vehicle (the coffin corner), which enables full width impact protection along the length
of the crash cushion unlike any other model. The Scorpion crash cushion consists of strut and cartridge sections that are linked together on a support frame. The aluminium boxes (in the middle of the crash cushion), are filled with a moisture proof, aluminium honeycomb material which combined with the unique curved frames absorb the energy from the vehicle impact. The crash cushion crumples in stages and when hit by a lighter vehicle, approximately 820kg, going at a speed of 62.5mph the impact will only crush the cartridge section of the Scorpion. Whereas, when hit by a heavier vehicle, approximately 2,000kg or two tonne, travelling up to the same speed of 62.5mph this will result in all sections, the strut and cartridge, crushing and absorbing the energy from the vehicle. The Scorpion crash cushion has been specifically designed to fit most makes and models of vehicles even manufacturing their own brackets and extension frames to guarantee this. Contact Aklea. Website: www. acklea.com Tel: 01249 822 600
The world renowned Scorpion crash cushion is a life saver!
Vehicle Hire and Management
Think Smart: £174M road improvement programme draws to a close A £174M road improvement programme that has seen a 13.4 mile stretch of the M3 in Surrey and Hampshire converted into a so-called ‘smart motorway’ is now complete, Highways England has confirmed. On Saturday 1 July, a fourth lane – previously the hard shoulder – was unveiled to serve traffic in both directions. A short period of testing now follows, during which smart measures will be fine-tuned before being rolled out in earnest. A 50mph speed limit will remain in effect for the duration of the commissioning works. “I am delighted that we’ve opened this vital motorway upgrade on time,” said Pranav Devale, Project Manager at Highways England. “This new stretch of smart motorway will tackle congestion and improve journey times for the 130,000 drivers who use it every day. “Smart motorways add vital extra capacity, improve journey times and maintain high levels of safety. Drivers will also see better information about conditions on the road ahead and enjoy smoother journeys on the fully resurfaced road. “As well as the smart motorway upgrade, we have also been carrying out the most extensive maintenance on
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the M3 since it was first built in 1971 in parallel with the smart motorway works.” The smart motorway upgrade spans a section of road stretching from Farnborough to the M25 in the east. According to Highways England, the new measures will make for a more resilient road network, hasten journey times via variable speed limits, ease troublesome stop-start congestion and update motorists on the road traffic conditions ahead. Many remain unconvinced, however. Without the hard shoulder, what are motorists to do in the event of an emergency? Highways England is well aware of these anxieties, and has begun the trial of a new smart motorway emergency area along the M3 in Surrey. Coloured a distinctive orange, the redesigned refuge point is much more visible to oncoming traffic – the intention being to reassure uneasy motorists and deter frivolous use. This area is only for serious issues, as Highways England is quick to point out. The first of the new smart motorway emergency areas went live on the M3 near Camberley. More are planned, should the trial prove successful. Crucially, the measures form part of an ongoing review into the design and
spacing of emergency areas on smart motorways, the results of which are to be made available this autumn. Highways England Chief Executive Jim O’Sullivan had this to say: “We recognise the public concern about smart motorways and we also believe that changes such as these will help drivers have confidence when using them and be clear about where they can stop in an emergency. “That is why we are trialling these highly visible new style emergency areas. The bright orange colouring will make them as easy as possible to spot and should also discourage drivers from using them in non-emergency situations. “This is just one of the ways we are helping drivers to understand smart motorways and their benefits. I hope it helps drivers feel more confident about using a smart motorway.” It’s an issue of driver awareness perhaps, and Highways England is keen to address concerns about what to do in the event of an emergency, in addition to the much more slippery matter of what exactly constitutes an emergency. A national TV, radio and social media campaign will cover key themes in more detail over the coming weeks and months.
£50M M6 investment to redefine Knutsford roundabout Highways England has announced a hugely ambitious £50M improvement project to transform a roundabout at junction 19 of the M6 near Knutsford, much to the delight of northern drivers. The scheme – dubbed ‘Option A’ as part of a month-long public consultation held last summer – which will provide a new bridge spanning the centre of the roundabout where the motorway meets the A556, has met with near unanimous approval from both Cheshire East Council and Tabley Parish Council. What’s more, three quarters of all drivers asked indicated this was their preferred option. It’s no surprise then that Highways England has elected to take forward ‘Option A’, making its selection public as part of a Preferred Route Announcement for the works, published in early July. Highways England Project Manager Irene Ofei commented: “We are delighted to announce the scheme we are taking forward is the one
which was the overwhelming choice of people taking part in last year’s consultation. We feel this option will deliver most and lasting benefits in terms of improving journey reliability and safety and increasing capacity. “The new link roads across the middle of the roundabout will take a lot of traffic away from other parts of the roundabout, reducing congestion for everyone.” There is much work to be done, however, and the start is still some way off. According to Highways England, the initial plan has yet to be refined – an often lengthy process – and construction work won’t begin until March 2019. But Highways England has assured those concerned that the project will be in full swing by March 2020 at the very latest. A fraught construction phase is set to take place at the heart of the roundabout above the existing M6 carriageways, and provide dedicated road links between the northbound M6 and the new
northbound A556 Knutsford to Bowdon dual carriageway. The southbound M6 onto the local southbound A556 road toward Northwich will also be served. Additional improvements include: • Wider lanes on the existing roundabout to bolster capacity, including bridges spanning the M6. • New traffic lights along the roundabout and its approach roads. • New traffic lights for the Tabley Hill Lane/Pickmere Lane junction. • Improved accessibility for any walkers, cyclists or horse riders crossing the junction. Funding for the remodelling, situated along one of the region’s busiest road junctions, is being provided as part of the Government’s £15Bn Road Investment Strategy. It will help boost the Northern Powerhouse agenda, improving transport connectivity and reliability in service of the economy of the North.
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Risk management specialist Lucion Services has produced a white paper on the asbestos management issues associated with highways projects. With much of the UK highways infrastructure over 20 years old, one of the biggest risks associated with renewal, repair and maintenance activities are the hidden dangers of asbestos containing materials (ACMs) that may be present. In the highways environment ACMs are known to exist in road building materials, drainage structures, pipes, bridges and viaducts, retaining walls, associated buildings and other assets. In particular, road tunnels, depots and other buildings are considered to pose the highest risk for highways related works. It is the responsibility of the duty holder to make sure that all highways assets are well managed and maintained, and this includes knowledge of where the asbestos is located. To address the health risks associated with ACMs, the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR) seeks to minimise the risk of harmful effects of exposure to asbestos. Regulation 4 of the CAR 2012 includes an explicit duty for those in control of assets to identify and manage any asbestos present. In addition to CAR 2012, the Highways England (HE) asbestos
management strategy complements existing requirements under the Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM) 2015. This forms the basis for ensuring asbestos issues are included in Health and Safety Plans and files, and in the design of risk assessments and other actions required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 1992. HE will audit and monitor Providers and Major Project Providers against these policies. In order to manage any ACMs present they must first be positively identified or presumed to be present. The presumptive basis of asbestos management requires the duty holder to assume that all unknown infrastructure fabric contains asbestos and that procedures are put in place to ensure that the material is dealt with accordingly – through an asbestos management plan. The most common starting point is an asbestos management survey which is designed to identify, as far as is reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect ACMs. As well as desk studies, this is also likely to include ‘intrusive’ sampling and analysis to make a material assessment of the condition of any ACMs present and their ability
to release fibres into the air. In the case of hidden assets, including drainage systems, the assets must be presumed to contain asbestos unless there is evidence to the contrary. In addition, for specific work packages or projects, a refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before any refurbishment or demolition work is carried out. This investigative work is fully intrusive and also involves destructive inspection, as required, to gain access to all areas including those that may be difficult to reach. This is an involved process requiring trained civils operatives working alongside the asbestos surveyor. The asbestos management plan uses the location of any ACMs identified in the survey to set out those measures required to prevent any unknowing exposure to asbestos by highways staff, maintenance workers and the general public. A thorough and robust area asbestos management plan, and associated action plans, is therefore a fundamental requirement to ensure compliance with Highways England requirements. To help those responsible meet their responsibilities, risk management specialist Lucion has produced a special white paper on Asbestos Management on Highways. Click here for your free download.
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Lucion Environmental specialise in the surveying, identification and analysis of asbestos containing materials. As an independent company we are able to ensure the delivery of impartial, trusted inspection and testing services to our clients across the world. We offer a holistic approach towards asbestos management, supporting infrastructure organisations and local authorities to ensure that appropriate measures are incorporated into the design and allowance made in project budgets and time scales. www.lucionservices.com
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Highways England begins £1.1M Two Mills junction works Highways England has commenced work on a £1.1M project at Two Mills, where the A550 meets the A540. A new 320-metre cycle path will be created through the junction, with traffic lights and toucan crossings making it easier to cross the A550. The right turn lanes onto the A540 from the A550 will also be improved and a new high friction road surface will be laid to reduce the risk of collisions at the junction. The A540, which runs between Chester and Hoylake, is popular with cyclists, and group rides set off from a cyclists’ café near the Two Mills junction during most weekends throughout the year. The cycling project at the Two Mills junction is one of 200 cycling
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schemes across England paid for by a £100M government fund for cycling that runs until 2021. The schemes are designed to make it easier for cyclists to cross motorway junctions and use major A roads. Phil Tyrrell, Project Manager at Highways England, said: “We’re committed to significantly improving safety across our road network, and the new cycle path as well as the wider and longer right turn lanes will make it much easier and safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to cross the junction. “We will do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum while the work is taking place, and look forward to seeing the new cycle
path open in time for the spring.” The new cycle path, which will be shared by cyclists and pedestrians, will run along the southbound A540. The route will cross two new islands on the A550 at the Two Mills junction before continuing along the A540. Two crossings will also be created at either end of the cycle path for people travelling in the opposite direction. A bus stop on the A540 will be moved to the opposite side of the junction to allow space for the new cycle path. Most of the work will be undertaken overnight between 8pm and 5am, with some work also taking place at weekends. The scheme is due to be completed by spring 2018.
Highways UK 2017 sets Intelligent Infrastructure Challenge The ‘Highways UK, Roads for Modern Britain’ event will be held on 8 November 2017 at the NEC in Birmingham for people and organisations involved in the planning, designing, building, operating and futureproofing of the UK’s road network. The 2016 event attracted over 2,200 visitors and saw the creation of the Costain Intelligent Infrastructure Hub to showcase innovations and technologies that facilitated a more efficient and safer network and presented these solutions
directly to key clients, Highways England and local authorities. New for the 2017 event is the Intelligent Infrastructure Challenge. This is a competition involving specific infrastructure client challenges set by Highways England, Bristol City Council, Transport for the North, England’s Economic Heartland, the London Air Quality Commission and Transport Scotland. These challenges require innovative technical solutions to problems
involving customer service and/ or network efficiency, safety and security and performance. Each shortlisted candidate will be able to exhibit their solution for free and will be asked to give a five minute presentation in the Hub. Each of the challenger clients will be tasked to pick a winner from the shortlist and award a prize at a special ceremony during the event on Thursday 9 November. Winners will receive various levels of non-financial support from the challenger client.
Highways England inspires next generation of road operatives Highways England hosted its first school open day at its Regional Operations Centre at Avonmouth in a bid to inspire the next generation of transport professionals. A group of around of 24 pupils aged 10 and 11 from St Werburgh’s in Bristol joined traffic officers, engineers and managers for a comprehensive tour of the centre, took part in business skills workshops and learnt more about career opportunities with Highways England. Highways England has been working with St Werburgh’s Primary School for a number of years, taking part in annual careers events, which have also involved Year 6 pupils from Cabot Primary School, Glenfrome Primary School and St Barnabas Church of England Primary. Highways England Technical Leader and Event Organiser Garry Packer said: “I’m very focused on raising children’s aspirations and confidence so that they will see their potential, and this open day was an ideal way of doing that while promoting Highways England as a great place to work. “The pupils were really enthusiastic, asking thought-provoking and
interesting questions and getting stuck into the workshops, which included sessions on communication, visioning the future and teamwork. “I really believe that, by engaging children from a young age, the next generations will be more interested in
a whole range of transport-related careers – and that can’t be a bad thing when over 25% of school leavers need to take up science or engineering to meet the demand in the South West region alone.”
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ISSN 1461-1279
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