Somerset Council teams respond to heavy rain and flooding
Somerset Council’s Highways teams have been responding to incidents across the county following heavy rain this week. They responded to more than 40 incidents, many of them minor road closures due to flooding, as rain swept through the county. More than 20 schools took the decision to close as a result of the bad weather […]
Bath & North East Somerset Council to use 250 tonnes of gritting salt during cold snap
More than 250 tonnes of gritting salt is set to be spread on Bath & North East Somerset highways during the current period of cold weather. There are more than 400 grit bins across Bath & North East Somerset, each filled with gritting salt ahead of the winter season ready for communities to use for […]
City roads should be ‘ripped out completely’ to help tackle pollution, says government adviser
A government adviser has called for roads in cities to be “ripped out completely” to combat air pollution. Dr Gary Fuller, a member of Defra’s air quality expert group, said that cities should instead be turned into “green spaces” where residents and children could relax and play free from pollution, reports the Daily Telegraph. The Imperial College academic has […]
Works begin to realign National Cycle Network Route 1 in Aberdeenshire
Sustrans Scotland’s Network Development Fund is helping fund improvements to the Formartine and Buchan Way. When complete, this will enable more people to walk, wheel and cycle from Newmachar to Auchnagatt. The Formartine and Buchan Way is a 40-mile path along a former railway line which runs from Dyce to Fraserburgh and features a 13-mile […]
Government approves £33.6million funding for A34 corridor improvements through Stockport
Pedestrians, cyclists and motorists in Greater Manchester and Stockport will benefit from improved connectivity thanks to a multi-million-pound package of critical improvements to the A34 corridor in Cheadle and Handforth. Last year, the Government announced it would invest £33.6 million in the A34 Corridor Improvement Scheme to ease congestion and enhance walking and cycling accessibility […]
The Welsh government has got its priorities wrong over public transport, according to transport expert
Ministers should have improved bus and train services before reducing speeds from 30mph to 20mph on many Welsh roads, Stuart Cole, Emeritus Professor at University of South Wales, has said. He said public transport facilities should have been “put in before any other anti-motorist legislation”. The Welsh government said current arrangements were complex across Wales, reports […]
Microcapsules could prevent potholes, says University of Surrey as it starts new research project
The University of Surrey has started research to investigate the use solar-to-ground heat exchange to prevent freeze-thaw damage to roads. Upheaval for the road pavement sector: could freeze-thaw damage be avoided using solar-to-ground heat exchange technology? (image © Ints VikmanisDreamstime) A five-year research programme led by Benyi Cao, a lecturer in civil and environmental engineering […]
The City of Wolverhampton starts tendering for highways structure repairs framework in West Midlands
The City of Wolverhampton Councils has started the search for contractors to repair structures across the city and the West Midlands. In partnership with the West Midlands Collaborative, Wolverhampton’s tender will cover structure repairs on highways for Coventry City Council and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall. The tender states that the […]
Changes to concrete ‘recipe’ will help UK construction slash carbon emissions
One of the most significant changes to the traditional ‘recipe’ for making concrete since the 1980s is set to be introduced in the UK, helping architects and engineers decarbonise the construction of buildings and infrastructure. Changes to standards for concrete have been published by BSI, the business improvement and standards company, and could save 1 […]
Streamlining road construction with AI
Road construction is a complex logistical process that includes coordinating local council permissions, planning workforce and machinery, and traffic management. Each decision has a significant financial impact on delivery and can negatively affect local communities, so reducing risk and optimising these projects is essential. With the government’s recently announced £8.3 billion long-term plan to resurface over 5,000 […]
