National Highways starts search for interested parties for new £495M technical services framework
National Highways is set to retender its technical consultancy framework, which covers geotechnical engineering services. In a recent prior information notice, National Highways confirmed that it will replace its current specialist professional and technical services framework 2 (SPATS2) with the new SPATS3. The new framework, valued at approximately £495M, would cover the period of 2024-2030. This […]
Milton Keynes goes back to basics to encourage more bus use
Milton Keynes City Council is using Government funding to provide residents with printed bus timetables as part of a campaign to encourage more people back onto buses and secure the future of services. Last month, Government’s £2 cap on bus fares which was due to end on 31 October was extended to 31 December 2024. […]
Fare outcomes: Understanding transport in Wales’s cities
Centre for Cities in partnership with TUC Wales has shown how increasing public transport use in Wales will help Welsh Government boost economic growth and reach net zero. The report says city transport connectivity has become a prominent topic in the UK policy debate in recent years. Public transport has been seen as a lever to […]
Burges Salmon’s role in National Highways scheme recognised at NIPA Awards
Burges Salmon’s role in the delivery of National Highways’ A417 Missing Link project has been recognised by the National Infrastructure Planning Association (NIPA), which won the NIPA Infrastructure Award at a ceremony held last night. The project is a landscape-led highways scheme that will deliver a safe and resilient free-flowing road while conserving and enhancing […]
Greater Manchester Combined Authority outlines plans for a digital roads network
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has outlined plans for a digital roads network supported by 5G. This follows the provision of £3 million to the city-region under a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology scheme to support regional initiatives in 5G innovation. The authority said the digital roads network will be developed with the aim […]
£7 million safety upgrade for M53 in Cheshire
A £7 million programme of safety improvements along a section of the M53 between Ellesmere Port and Stoak in Cheshire will start this week. National Highways is replacing large sections of ageing steel safety barriers in both the northbound and southbound verges and central reservation between junction 9 and junction 11 of the motorway. A major […]
‘Once in a decade opportunity’ for local authorities with additional funding with the right proactive strategy, says RSTA
There is a ‘once in a decade’ opportunity to improve the road network with the additional funding announced by the government as well as reducing carbon and cost over the lifecycle, according to Paul Boss, Chief Executive of the Road Surface Treatment Association (RSTA). His comments come after the Government announcement of £8.3bn 11-year roads […]
ADEPT and Colas publish new toolkit to tackle local government staff retention crisis
A new guide has been published today to help tackle the staff retention crisis in local authorities across the country. Local authorities are experiencing a crisis in staff retention, leading to skills gaps that are having a serious impact on how councils provide services. The annual LGA workforce survey 2022 (ref) found over four-fifths (83 […]
WJ Group secures a place on Barnet Council’s Highways Maintenance Works Framework Agreement
WJ Group has been announced as the sole supplier for Lot 9, which covers road studs and markings, further cementing WJ’s position as a key delivery partner to local authorities across the UK. This latest success increases the number of contracts WJ holds with local authorities to 68. The four-year framework will enable Barnet Council […]
Milton Keynes to host major self-driving vehicle trial
Milton Keynes has been selected to trial a new self-driving shuttle as part of a Europe-wide research project that’s the longest and most geographically complex of its kind. The LivingLAPT project is funded by EIT Urban Mobility and led by University College London (UCL). An autonomous shuttle uses five lidar sensors and seven cameras to create a […]