With new rules in place from the Department for Transport (DfT) regarding funding for highway maintenance, ACO Technologies is releasing a new industry guide at Highways UK that outlines how local authorities can seize the opportunity to make long-term improvements.
The new guide looks at the impact that flooding can have on the highway network, from accelerating road surface deterioration to increasing the mobilisation of pollutants within runoff before being swept into surrounding environments. It offers expert advice on how these challenges can be effectively addressed through preventative maintenance while meeting the requirements associated with securing maintenance incentive funding.
The guide, titled The Route to Resilience, draws on the expertise and experience of Terry Wilkinson, Design and Application Engineer at ACO Water Management, alongside ACO’s wider experience supporting highway drainage projects. Terry began his career within local authority highways teams more than 20 years ago, managing maintenance budgets and working with many of the same challenges this guide addresses, before moving into drainage design. His understanding of demands on local authorities, asset management and highway drainage helps shape the practical guidance within the guide.
Extreme weather events put significant stress on highway networks, with more intense rainfall resulting in increased and rapid surface water runoff from highway surfaces, carrying accumulated pollutants into drainage systems and the surrounding natural environment. Prolonged dry periods, which are becoming increasingly prevalent, can affect ground conditions and alter how rainfall is intercepted and infiltrated, reinforcing the need to consider resilience to both wet and dry extremes when planning and maintaining highway infrastructure. With a new approach to funding, local authorities can plan further ahead to reduce the impact of flooding, and droughts, strengthening their road systems through effective and sustainable drainage.
Terry Wilkinson, alongside other ACO experts, will be at Highways UK next week to answer attendees’ questions and discuss how effective drainage can support long term asset performance, network resilience and compliance with DfT requirements.
“Having worked within local authority highways teams, I understand the pressures many authorities face when balancing day to day maintenance demands with longer term planning,” he said.
“Greater long-term funding certainty creates an opportunity to look beyond reactive repairs and consider how drainage and asset management can support a more resilient highway network for the future.”
(Picture: ACO)
