The street and road works sector will play an increasingly important role in helping deliver the UK’s infrastructure prioirties over the next five years and beyond, according to the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC (UK))
The organisation, which includes the Joint Authorities Group (JAG (UK)) and Street Works UK, has launched A five-year Vision for Street
and Road Works in the UK. It said by 2025, the street and road works sector
will make the most of new technology to drive forward safety, quality, efficiency and collaboration, while prioritising the interests of its customers and general public. “The sector will ensure the right skills are in
place to deliver the infrastructure the UK needs to thrive in the information, carbon-neutral age,” said the document.
HAUC UK will focus on five main prioirties as part of its five-year vision; digitalisation; innovation; skills and workforce; collaboration; environment and decarbonisation. “The industry is well-placed to deliver. Across the UK, our sector is leading and supporting the charge to accelerate gigabitcapable broadband coverage and the decarbonisation of our economy,” the vision said.
“With a strong focus on these areas, we will rise to the challenge. But that will not be enough. We will need to be agile, adapting to changes that need to happen in partnership between Promoters, Authorities, and respective
governments,” it goes on to say.
On innovation, the vision said: “Over the course of the next five years we must drive an uptake in innovation. As part of this, HAUC will act as a champion of innovation by demonstrating the role it can play in realising the country’s infrastructure ambitions. However, we cannot act alone. Government, local authorities and utilities must all work together to create an environment which fosters innovation, helping to deliver more efficient
works. Infrastructure providers, utilities, contractors and suppliers will then be able to make the business case for investment and help drive greater use of available innovation.”
On its focus on digital, it said: ” If we are to help build a digital future that benefits our members, meets the expectations of our partners in government and provides the service customers and the wider
public need, we must know our aims for the digital future.”
In their foreword, joint chairs, Dave Capon, Chief Executive of JAG (UK)) and Clive Bairsto, Chief Executive of Street Works UK said: “Over the next five years, the working practices of the street and road works sector will evolve as we play our part in building an economy fit for the digital age. The nature of future infrastructure expansion means that we will need to be cognisant of new and emerging drivers that will impact our work. As we look ahead to building an infrastructure to support an economy fit for 2025 and beyond, we believe that our future work will be defined by: digitalisation; innovation; skills and workforce; collaboration; and environment and decarbonisation.”
The full vision can be read here:
https://mcusercontent.com/fcdb37680fca83f48e0234c2c/files/1f9568c6-efb2-467b-ad02-3501d2ee377b/HAUC_UK_Street_and_Road_Works_Vision.pdf
