NH trialling “super swift” gates on network
An automatic taper which can close off lanes in minutes and saves road workers having to put out cones in the face of oncoming traffic is to be trialled on the National Highways network. The innovation, SwiftGate, can be fully deployed in around five minutes compared to the 25 minutes it takes road workers to […]
Colas awarded Area 9 maintenance and response contract
Colas has been awarded the eight-year Maintenance and Response contract for Area 9 by National Highways. Worth £328m the contract covers the Strategic Road Network within Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire as well as parts of Gloucestershire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. Across a total lane length of around 3,760 km of motorway and trunk roads, […]
NH lifting roadworks for Christmas
National Highways says it will be working round the clock to remove more than 900 miles of roadworks ahead of the Christmas getaway. This means nearly 98 per cent of motorways and major A roads will be roadworks-free in time for those travelling to see loved ones or making other journeys for Christmas. National Highways […]
Balfour Beatty successfully completes A19 upgrade ahead of schedule
Balfour Beatty, alongside its design partner Atkins, has announced the completion of National Highways’ A19 major upgrade project, four months ahead of schedule. Around £65 million has been invested into the construction of 198,770 square metres of new road between Norton and Wynyard junctions, increasing capacity from two to three lanes, reducing traffic noise in […]
National Highways ‘dig deep’ to mark end of £24m work at A45/A6 junction
A VIP tree planting ceremony has taken place to mark the end of a £24million scheme by National Highways to tackle congestion at a busy roundabout. The extensive works have included creating a ‘half hamburger’ roundabout at the A45/A6 Chowns Mill junction and widening the roads approaching the roundabout to create extra capacity for traffic. […]
M6 scheme clocks up 500,000 hours without a single worker losing time through injury
The M6 project has reached 500,000 hours without a single worker losing time through injury. Since the scheme hit the ground in summer 2019, there have been no Lost Time Incidents – that’s more than 800 days of keeping workers safe on site. Around 100 people are working on the £78 million transformation of the […]
Queue-dodging motorist “puts lives at risk” by using M5 hard shoulder
National Highways has released video footage of the moment a motorist was caught illegally driving down the hard shoulder of the M5 during a fortnight of action by police patrolling the South West’s motorways in unmarked National Highways HGV cabs. It says the driver took it upon themselves to avoid three lanes of stationary traffic […]
ORR increases scrutiny of funding plans for next road period
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is increasing its scrutiny of future road funding for the strategic road network as plans are drawn up for the third road investment strategy (RIS3). As National Highways’ independent monitor, ORR has today (8 December 2021) set out its proposed approach in its consultation on the development of […]
Wolverhampton-based drainage specialist wins National Highways contract
A Wolverhampton-based business which specialises in highways drainage surveys has secured a seven-year contract with National Highways. DDC Engineering Solutions helps to keep carriageways safe by reducing the amount of standing water on the road surface by surveying the networks of drainage that sit below road surfaces. The team uses a combination of Global Positioning […]
A303 Stonehenge approval to be re-considered
Plans to dual the A303 at Stonehenge could be re-approved in 2022 despite a successful court challenge. The Department for Transport (DfT) granted permission to National Highways in late-2020 to dual the A303 near the World Heritage Site at a cost of £1.7bn, via a new tunnel. The High Court quashed this decision in July 2021 following a successful judicial review by […]