Andrew Jones

www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk OCTOBER 2015
ROAD MAINTENANCE 31
Roadworks: Signs of change
Andy Bell, highways director at Ramboll, reacts to the news that highway chiefs have
been told by government ministers to limit motorway roadworks to between two and
five miles
Highways England, along with its
supply chain, is set to undertake
the biggest ever investment in the
strategic road network – whilst
simultaneously being tasked with
improving drivers’ experiences and
potentially limiting the length of
any single roadworks scheme to
two to five miles.
This latest proposal may have a role to
play in improving safety and minimising
disruption, but it also needs to be
considered alongside the suite of other
solutions currently being contemplated
by Highways England.
Two miles is too short for
latest ways of working
New processes are already delivering
significantly shortened periods of
construction on road schemes to avoid
road closures and road blocks, and
these might not be feasible on lengths
as short as two miles.
For example, the use of slip formed
smooth faced retaining walls to widen
the M25 (junction 16 to 21 and 27 to 30)
to four lanes helped contribute to cost
savings of 18 per cent and the quickest
road widening rate of 1.8km per month.
The work was delivered over three
sections of approximately five miles
each. Due to the complexity and heavy
plant required, the benefits would not
have been achieved if limited to shorter
length schemes.
Another key example of how new
ways of working have developed
is the installation of the latest MS4
sign and signal gantries, now installed
throughout the network. The process
has evolved to be as quick as possible
to minimise traffic disruption. Gantries
are outfitted offsite and transported
in three units – the two legs and the
boom. Once the legs have been put
up, which can be done in advance, the
police implement a rolling block to slow
traffic to a crawl. The boom is lifted
up and dropped on to the legs. The
process takes approximately 10 minutes
per gantry although it can be done in
less – the fastest being six minutes! This
rapid erection technique can be used
to install multiple gantries at the same
time achieving economies of scale over
longer distances.
Strategic planning
The size of and extent of the proposed
improvement programme backed by
the long term budget commitment
offers the opportunity for tighter
planning to ensure that sections of the
network are not subject to successive
schemes. This in itself will help to
minimise disruption as this has not
previously been possible during times
when budgets were limited, resulting
in a rather piecemeal approach on
particular parts of the network.
Collaborate to innovate
Improvements to the road users’
experience of the network have to
come from several areas – foremost
being the rate at which schemes can
be constructed. Collaboration between
designer and contractor to develop
innovative systems of working is crucial.
The current collaborative delivery
framework (CDF) provides a structure
under which further best practice
can be shared and applied and where
innovative ideas can be developed for
the benefit of the whole network.
Communication is key
It will never be possible to totally
eliminate the frustration drivers feel
when journeys are impacted. We need
to help drivers buy-in and understand
the balance; that roadworks are planned
carefully with safety and minimising
disruption paramount.
We have a story to tell, nationally and
at the roadside: why it is necessary
to carry out major improvement
and maintenance projects, and what
benefits will they bring.
We need to justify the length of a
scheme and find a way to present
drivers with the influencing factors.
These include the alignment of existing
road, distance to and from existing
junctions, extent of elements to be
constructed, and the ability to deliver
schemes as quickly as possible and on
the most economical basis.
Highways England is already piloting
new approaches of providing
appropriate, relevant and timely
information to enable an intelligent
customer base to make sensible
decisions and adjust behaviour.
Schemes underway across England
include emotionally intelligent signage,
count-in marking with the purpose of
reducing sudden braking, and real-time
variable message signing to provide
information on how long it will take to
get through the roadworks.
Much is already being done in the
highways community to deliver
improvement schemes more effectively
and improve customer satisfaction. With
better planning, new communication
strategies, and real-time messaging, the
imposition of maximum lengths should
be unnecessary.
“We need to justify the length of a
scheme and find a way to present
drivers with the influencing factors”
Andy Bell