Building Better Roads: Towards Sustainable Construction

The Highways Agency's contribution to Sustainable Development through the construction and maintenance of the Strategic Road Network in England.

This document has been produced to explain what the Highways Agency is doing to promote sustainability in the environmental, social and economic aspects of its business. It sets out expectations for suppliers and information for stakeholders.

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Building Better Roads: Towards Sustainable Construction

Introduction

The Highways Agency is responsible for the construction and maintenance of our trunk road and motorway network; the strategic network of roads that are used to move people and freight around England. Construction and maintenance includes the building of new roads and structures (bridges, tunnels etc.) and the continual repair and replacement of the worn components of existing features, whether they are the road surface, lights, road markings, signs, or traffic lights etc. The Agency is also responsible for the operation of the highways, which means the day to day provision of a transport network for road users. This document reports on the Agency's current approach in relation to sustainable construction and maintenance.

The Agency, as a Government agency of the Department for Transport, has an important role in driving the Sustainability agenda.

The trunk road network currently carries 34% of all traffic and 67% of all freight in England. The replacement value is approximately £65 billion and it comprises:

To construct and maintain this huge asset the Agency employs specialist contractors. In fact, 95% of the Agency's work is procured from external suppliers. If the Agency is to drive the sustainability agenda forward it must work with these partners in delivering Sustainable Construction.

There are several drivers for the Agency's progress towards more sustainable construction:

These drivers have led the Agency to develop a more sustainable approach to its construction and maintenance operations. This document demonstrates why the Agency is looking to improve its performance, what it is working to achieve, how it is improving and what its plans are in the following key areas:

The Agency welcomes your feedback on this document. If you have any comments or suggestions for its improvement please contact us at sustainability@highways.gsi.gov.uk.

'The capacity for continuance into the long term future'

Sustainability

Sustainability has been defined by Forum for the Future as 'The capacity for continuance into the long term future'. Anything that can continue on an indefinite basis is sustainable, but the current practices of the world's population cannot go on indefinitely and are unsustainable.

If we do not reach a point where our activities are sustainable, then we will eventually consume all available resources and generate a level of pollution that will mean the earth is no longer capable of sustaining human life. Within a sustainable society it is also expected that every individual will have a right to 'a better quality of life', which will include having adequate food, education, employment and housing, and for this to occur stable economic growth will be required. The challenge is to decouple social progress and economic growth from resource depletion and adverse environmental impacts.

Sustainable Construction

Sustainable Construction is the set of processes by which a profitable and competitive industry delivers built assets (buildings, structures, supporting infrastructure and their immediate surroundings) which:

  • Enhance quality of life and offer customer satisfaction;
  • Offer flexibility and the potential to cater for user changes in the future;
  • Provide and support desirable natural and social environments;
  • Maximise the efficient use of resources;

For more information on Government sustainable construction policy follow this link to 'Building a Better Quality of Life'.

Introduction

Management of Natural Resources

What is Management of Natural Resources about?

The Government's strategy for Sustainable Development for the UK 'A Better Quality of Life' (1999) discusses the term Prudent use of natural resources and explains that:

'This does not mean denying ourselves the use of non-renewable resources like oil and gas, but we do need to make sure that we use them efficiently and that alternatives are developed to replace them in due course. Renewable resources, such as water, should be used in ways that do not endanger the resource or cause serious damage or pollution.'

Why is this an issue for the Highways Agency?

The construction, maintenance and operation of the trunk road network consumes large quantities of resources. In 1998 roads represented 3% of the UK's construction work (Source: DETR (2000) Construction Statistics Annual). Between about 20,000 and 60,000 tonnes of aggregate is used to construct a mile of motorway. Over 90% of non-energy minerals extracted in Great Britain are used to supply the construction industry with materials. Yet every year some 70 million tonnes of construction products and demolition arisings are wasted. Some 13 million tonnes of that is material delivered to sites and subsequently thrown away unused. Poor design and planning can also result in wasted time and money and reduced profits.

What is the Highways Agency's goal?

One of the objectives from 'Towards a balance with nature: Highways Agency Environmental Plan' is:

'To develop techniques to ensure that the Trunk Road Network is managed in the most sustainable manner, conserving the existing resource, generating less waste and removing barriers that prevent or inhibit the use of secondary or waste materials.'

How is the Highways Agency achieving its goal?

The Agency considers this theme in three parts. These have been developed from the Office of Government Commerce Sustainability Action Plan and are:

The Agency also undertakes specific initiatives relating to natural resources, such as the sourcing of timber for fencing and barriers and furniture in HA buildings. There is now a requirement for the timber used in our roadside environment to have certification proving that it has been sustainably sourced.

Some key tools for managing the Agency's operations in relation to the management of natural resource are:

Monitoring Progress

The Agency is developing performance indicators for resource use in maintenance contracts.

Future Development

Research is underway to prolong the life of roads and other structures. This includes assessment of durability of selected recycled aggregates in structural concrete. It is anticipated that the output from this project will produce guidance and specifications on the use of such material.

Research is underway to identify the potential for recycled aggregates in pavements and structural concrete and to develop a quality standard for recycled materials. Identifying material sources close to sites will reduce the environmental impact of transportation.

A specification for the use of Incinerator Bottom Ash is currently under development and will be included in the next specification update, further increasing the use of alternative materials in road construction. The table below demonstrates the secondary aggregate material currently permitted for use in road works.

The Agency is currently developing a Quality Management sector scheme for highway lighting which will include recycling of lamps from highway lanterns.

Click to view Table 1

Extending the Durability of Highway Structures

The Agency is increasing the durability of highways structures by:

  • Minimising the amount of maintenance required by adopting integral bridges for new construction, eliminating bearings and expansion joints;
  • Using new techniques to extend the life of in-service structures such as cathodic protection to minimise corrosion in some reinforced concrete structures;
  • Using new techniques to strengthen bridge supports and decks using fibre reinforced plastics (developed for aerospace and marine applications).

All these techniques reduce the need for maintenance / repair / strengthening work; help to reuse rather than demolish structures and are cost effective in whole life terms.

Crack and Seat for concrete roads

Jointed concrete roads can provide poor ride quality if the joints are not maintained properly and the concrete surface is often noisy. For these reasons, even though such roads remain structurally intact, it is often desirable to cover them with a new asphalt surface, but this usually leads to a future maintenance requirement because thermal expansion and contraction at the buried joints in the concrete causes deterioration of the new surface.

Traditional solutions are a thick layer of asphalt or the removal of the concrete, which are both expensive in financial and resource terms. Alternatively, the concrete can be treated using the Crack and Seat method. This involves 'cracking' the concrete slabs with a large guillotine, 'seating' the slabs with a heavy roller, then applying a thin asphalt surface. The new cracks will accommodate some of the thermal movement and the new surface will not deteriorate at an accelerated rate.

When designed carefully and monitored closely, this can be done while preserving most of the strength of the concrete and thus extending its lifetime as a structural layer. Energy consumption, the use of aggregates and the amount of material taken to landfill are all significantly reduced compared to traditional reconstruction and the thin asphalt surfacing reduces noise pollution.

It is estimated that up to July 2002, around £50 million have been saved in terms of materials and user delay costs by the use of crack and seat.

Using Quarry Waste

China clay is an important material for the paper, ceramics, paint and construction industries. Deposits occur mainly in Cornwall and Devon where extraction has been carried out over the last few centuries and continues today. Large amounts of waste are produced in the china clay recovery process and large stockpiles of waste exist adjacent to the quarries. The ratio of quarried china clay product to waste is high, with 1 tonne of china clay giving rise to 9 tonnes of waste. Part of this waste is sand, which due to its consistency has the greatest potential for reuse. China clay sand is a good-quality aggregate, and only needs to undergo the same basic grading and washing processes as other natural aggregates to be fit for use. China clay waste has been used on a number of Agency projects in the Cornwall area and it can be used in most road applications such as in concrete, base layers and foundations.

Case Study Resurfacing the A21

During resurfacing and reconstruction work on roads, part or the entire asphalt surface is planed off. Due to the high quality of material involved there is an opportunity for reuse. Road planings from Highway Agency schemes are not sent to landfill. They are normally taken to distribution storage centres for use on other schemes. However, reusing the road planings on site can significantly reduce the number of lorry journeys associated with the work.

Recycled road planings were recently used in a 4.3km section of the A21 Sevenoaks Bypass. Incorporating the recycled material into the new road surface led to a saving of £216,000 in off site transport costs, a reduction in contract period and reduced delays and costs to the travelling public.

Management of Natural Resources

Reducing Emissions

What is Reducing Emissions about?

Emissions are the release of substances or noise that can cause nuisance or harm to humans, other animals and plants. The Government's strategy for Sustainable Development for the UK 'A Better Quality of Life' (1999) discuses Effective protection of the environment and explains that:

"We must act to limit global environmental threats, such as climate change; to protect human health and safety from hazards such as poor air quality and toxic chemicals."

Why is this an issue for the Highways Agency?

Before constructing or widening roads the Agency must consider the impact of the road and users vehicles on the environment and society. Recent advances in technology have delivered significant reductions in vehicle emissions. However, they continue to be an important factor in both local air quality and levels of greenhouse gases. Traffic noise and light pollution are major concerns for communities living close to our road network. Tackling these issues through, for example, low noise surfaces and high cut off lanterns are a priority for the Agency. Additionally runoff from roads can adversely affect watercourses and groundwater, with spillage of loads and the use of pesticides/herbicides in highway maintenance posing further threats.

Significant emissions can also arise from construction and maintenance activities. Noise and dust can cause nuisance to local communities, and pollution can occur from construction vehicle emissions and site activities. It is the Agency's responsibility to ensure that contractors minimise these emissions.

What is the Highways Agency's goal?

The Agency has three environmental objectives that relate to the reduction of pollution as part of 'Towards a balance with nature: Highways Agency Environmental Plan':

How is the Highways Agency achieving its goal?

To achieve a reduction in air emissions the Agency is:

To achieve a reduction in noise emissions the Agency is:

graph illustrating fall in noise levels

To achieve a reduction in emissions to water the Agency is:

To achieve a reduction in light pollution the Agency is:

Some key tools for managing the Agency's operations in relation to the reducing emissions are:

Monitoring Progress

The Key Performance Indicators relating to reducing emissions are set out in the Agency's 2003-2004 Business Plan as:

Objective Key Performance Measure Target
Respecting the Environment Average achievement across the following three sub-indicators:
  • Improve air quality of at least 4 sites in Air Quality Management Areas.
  • Treat at least 300 lane kms of concrete road surface with lower noise surfacing.
  • Treat at least 2 pollution risk water outfall sites.
At least 95%

Progress against the KPIs will be reported in the Highways Agency's Annual Report.

In 'Strategic Roads 2010, the Highways Agency Ten Year National Road Strategy' the Agency has set two targets in relation to noise reduction, these are:

Future Development

Case Studies

Reducing the impact of road salting

Salt is used during the winter to prevent the formation of frost and ice on our roads. However the use of salt has an impact on the environment as it can damage plants and trees on the verge, cause water pollution and change the properties of soil. The Agency has commissioned research into a more effective salting technique known as 'wet salting'. This technique has environmental benefits because:

  1. It uses about 22% less salt than during dry salting.
  2. There is less bouncing of salt to the roadside verge during spreading.
A12/M11 Link Road

By filtering out the fine contaminated material in an old disposal site being traversed by the new road, the Agency was able to use the coarser uncontaminated material as part of the works, reduce the amount of contaminated material going to landfill and reduce the potential for future leachate contamination from under the new road.

Reducing Emissions

Reducing Energy Consumption

What is Reducing Energy Consumption about?

The consumption of fossil fuels leads to the production of greenhouse gases, mainly Carbon Dioxide. These emissions contribute to climate change, which is predicted to cause an increased number of storms, more droughts and higher sea levels. Fossil fuels are our main source of energy. They are a finite resource, which means that they will run out. We must therefore use them as efficiently as possible, whilst seeking alternative renewable sources of energy.

Why is this an issue for the Highways Agency?

Energy is consumed through the use of lighting for roads and signs, and the use of communications equipment such as flow monitoring cameras, messaging signs and emergency phones. Energy is consumed in the Agency's offices and by its vehicles. The construction and maintenance of highways also consumes energy through:

Vehicles that travel on the network also consume energy. On average, the fuel consumed annually by vehicles travelling on a stretch of highway is equivalent to all the energy consumed in initial construction.

What is the Highways Agency's goal?

The Agency has an objective, as part of 'Towards a balance with nature: Highways Agency Environmental Plan', that relates to reduction in energy consumption:

How is the Highways Agency achieving its goal?

The Agency is a large consumer of energy. As a practical step to improve its performance the Agency now purchases 10% of the energy consumed by the lighting and communication infrastructure from renewable sources.

The transport of materials for road construction and maintenance is a major energy issue. Through the amendment of technical specifications the Agency is encouraging the use of local materials in highway construction. This will reduce the number and length of vehicle journeys required in construction and maintenance activities.

Current research has shown that the design and construction of road surfaces and the control of traffic flow can have the additional benefit of reducing vehicle energy consumption. The Agency is continuing to investigate the use of smoother road surfaces and Active Traffic Management and their impact upon energy consumption.

To reduce the energy consumed by its employees, the Agency has a Green Travel Plan, which incorporates objectives and targets relating to travel to work, business travel and investigating potential opportunities to reduce travel through a change in work practices such as home working.

Some key tools for managing the Agency's operations in relation to reducing energy consumption are as follows:

Future Development

Case Study

M6 Toll Road

Sand and gravel being excavated from the M6 Toll Road site is being used in its construction to reduce the need for imported material and disposal of waste. 3 million tonnes of sand and gravel will be re-used in the construction as special fills and aggregates for concrete and drainage. 1.5 million tonnes will be processed as premium aggregates for concrete to form the foundation layers for the road. This will reduce the need for externally quarried materials, which would have to be brought to the site by road. This and the use of on-site concrete production plants will save some 400,000 lorry journeys to and from the site.

Reducing Energy Consumption

Biodiversity

What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity is a term used to describe the variety of life on Earth. The conservation of the complex system of habitats and species is essential to maintain the ecological health of the planet. In June 1992, the UK became a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, thus making a commitment to conserve and enhance our national ecology.

Why is this an issue for the Highways Agency?

Land owned by the Agency between the highway fences, but not occupied by the road carriageway, is known as the soft estate. This currently represents approximately 30,000 hectares of land, supporting a wide range of habitats. The soft estate owned by the Agency is equivalent in size to the Isle of Wight.

What is the Highways Agency's goal?

The Agency aims to manage the network in a practical way, which promotes the maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity. In particular the Agency seeks to manage the estate so as to add to its existing value as a refuge and a linking feature for wildlife.

How is the Highways Agency achieving its goal?

Ecological issues have been incorporated into the management of the soft estate since the late 1970s. In 2000, the Agency set a target to manage the core Agency road network in line with Biodiversity Action Plans. In line with this the Agency prepared its own Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), the HABAP.

As a first step towards developing the HABAP, the Agency established a Biodiversity Partnership of interested organisations, including the Department for Transport, English Nature, the Environment Agency, Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB.

In 1999/2000, the Agency carried out an audit of the existing biodiversity on the soft estate to identify which priority habitats and species identified in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP), are known, or are likely to occur.

The HABAP defines actions and sets targets for the beneficial management of the soft estate and covers the period 2002 - 2012.

Five broad habitat types (woodland, grassland, heathland, boundary features and water features) have been identified. Within each Habitat Action Plan (HAP), detailed actions are provided for relevant UKBAP priority habitats. Twenty species (or groups of species) were identified for Species Action Plans (SAP) and are grouped to relate them to the habitat type with which they are most commonly associated.

Implementation of the HABAP is the responsibility of Agency staff, agents and consultants, across the network working in partnership, where practical, with neighbouring landowners, conservation organisations and other interested parties.

Some key tools for managing the Agency's operations in relation to Biodiversity are as follows:

Monitoring Progress

The Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for biodiversity from 2003-2007 will be the achievement of targets set in the Highway Agency's Species Action Plans and Habitat Action Plans.

The Biodiversity KPI is set out in the Agency's 2003-4 Business Plan as:

Objective Key Performance Measure Target
Respect the Environment Achieve at least 12% of Biodiversity Action Plan extending across 15 targets At least 95%

Progress against this KPI will be reported in the Highways Agency's Annual Report.

In 'Strategic Roads 2010 the Highways Agency 10 Year National Road Strategy' the Agency has set 2 targets:

Case Studies

Moving the mice

A rare protected species of dormouse was found in an area of woodland scheduled for felling as part of the A43 Towcester to M40 dualling project. In consultation with the Forestry Commission, English Nature and the Northamptonshire Dormice group, it was decided to attempt to encourage the dormice to move further back into the wood away from the area that needed to be felled.

The surrounding woodland was improved to make it appropriate dormouse habitat and a phased felling of woodland took place over two years. The disturbance from the work gradually moved the dormice into their newly prepared habitat. English Nature has recommended this strategy for potential use in similar situations.

Beetles get a little help from the Agency

One of Britain's rarest beetles has been found on the A500 Basford-Hough-Shavington bypass near Crewe. Known to breed only in four sites in Cheshire, and around Somerset, the Lesser Silver Diving beetle is now the subject of special protective measures being carried out by the Highways Agency. Unless these measures are successful, the endangered species is threatened with extinction in this country. Further survey work confirms the presence of the beetle and plans are in place to rescue it. These are part of wider measures to protect biodiversity in the north-west, that include work to protect bats and red squirrels, on the Stainburn and Great Clifton bypass.

Biodiversity

Landscape Townscape and Heritage

What is Landscape, Townscape and Heritage about?

Landscape, Townscape and Heritage relate to the place in which we live and the way we interact with, change and build our surroundings. We have beautiful landscapes in the British Isles, and our heritage extends from the first traces of civilisation to the most important buildings and structures of the present day. As we continue to develop, it is important that we protect the assets that people need and value.

Why is this an issue for the Highways Agency?

Motorways and trunk roads are an integral part of our transport infrastructure. They allow us to travel and visit the countryside, towns and cities, but they also affect how the countryside, towns and cities look. We have a great heritage with many historical features. When investing in new road improvements it is essential for the Agency to be aware of both the positive and adverse effects it may have and react appropriately to respect our landscapes, townscapes and heritage.

What is the Highways Agency's goal?

The Agency has objectives as part of 'Towards a balance with nature: Highways Agency Environmental Plan' that relate to landscape, townscape and heritage, these are:

How is the Highways Agency achieving its goal?

The Agency is undertaking the following actions to improve performance:

Landscape
Townscape
Heritage

Some key tools for managing the Agency's operations in relation to landscape, townscape and heritage are as follows:

Monitoring Progress

The Agency's 2003-4 business plan contains this Key Performance Indicator.

Objective Key Performance Measure Target
Respecting the Environment Introduce no less than 8 planting schemes to enhance the landscape. At least 95%

Progress against this KPI will be reported in the Highways Agency Annual Report.

Future Development

How the Agency looks after the past

During the planning process for road improvements, we firstly commission archaeologists to do a desk assessment of the area - finding out what is known about it so far. Then other survey work is commissioned, which might result in field-walking - picking up fragments which might give a clue to what lies beneath, or a geophysical survey - using electronic instruments to detect buried human activity and structures. Then comes the digging of a series of trial trenches.

When construction begins, the archaeologists are on site keeping a watching brief as the topsoil is removed; if anything significant is found, the area is roped-off for further examination. If a very important site is uncovered, every effort is made to preserve the area by redesign. During the excavations, the finds are identified and catalogued. Most go to local museums, though some of national importance can be seen in London museum collections. It's not just the finds that are valuable. The post-excavation report by the archaeologists aims to develop an understanding of the site, reconstructing the past and enabling us to better appreciate our history. Sometimes in our Targeted Programme of Improvements (TPI) a balance has to be struck between construction and the preservation of less-important areas, as it is not possible to skirt around every site. But the data is preserved in museum exhibits and excavation reports. English Heritage has advised on every project. (Roads to the Past - Trunk Roads and Archaeology)

The TPI comprises of a number of major schemes each costing more than £5million, funded either conventionally or by public-private partnership and is aimed at addressing some of the most pressing network problems, easing congestion and making travel safer, providing safer and healthier communities and supporting regeneration and integration. The schemes were originally announced in 1998 as part of 'A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England'.

Case Studies Stonehenge

The Stonehenge scheme will remove traffic from Britain's greatest prehistoric monument, by putting the road closest to the stones in a 2.1km long bored tunnel - part of the improvement scheme between Amesbury and Berwick Down.

The Highways Agency has been investigating the archaeological impact of various routes around the stones since 1991. Their conclusions have been adopted by the custodians of the stones, English Heritage, in their master plan for the site and a special database has been developed which holds all the recorded archaeology within an area of 135 square kilometres. There are 450 scheduled monuments within the World Heritage Site at Stonehenge. There will be a major programme of archaeological investigation before the tunnel is constructed which will lead to a better understanding of the history of the site.

The root to success

Local school kids have put their green fingers to good use, thanks to an Agency tree-planting scheme on the M60.

This landscaping project helps to incorporate new shrubs with existing trees and hedges on local roads. More than 100,000 trees and shrubs were planted on the new eastern section on the outer ring road, bringing the total planted around the Denton to Middleton section of motorway to an area equivalent to 72 football pitches.

Fossils from the Thames

Excavations in the Thames Estuary at Aveley as part of the construction of the A13 in Essex uncovered an exciting range of fossils, which were laid down by the Thames approximately 200,000 years ago. These included the remains of a very large lion, brown bear, wolf, horse, red deer, rhinoceros, beaver, mole, barbastelle bat, water vole and pond terrapin. The richly-organic deposits also preserved remains of birds, amphibians, shells and beetles.

A major find was the bones of a jungle cat (Felis chaus) - now found only in North Africa, India and south east Asia. The name is a misnomer - they are commonly found in marshland and are often called swamp cats. They stand about 40cms (16ins) high.

Much larger bones were found from a giant ox (Bos primigenius), a prehistoric aurochs and the forerunner of our domestic cattle. They were long-horned and stood two metres high at the shoulder. They died out in Britain in the Bronze Age. The skeleton is now resting in the Natural History Museum in London.

Landscape Townscape and Heritage

Respect for People

What is Respect for People about?

Respect for people relates to two issues:

Why is this an issue for the Highways Agency?

The Agency employs approximately 1600 staff and many thousands of contractors to build, maintain and operate its 6065 miles of motorway and trunk road. It is important to both the individuals and the business that people are trained, safe, happy and motivated in their work.

The people affected, adjacent to the network whilst it is constructed and maintained are also important. The Agency consults local communities and takes their opinions into consideration to minimise the impacts upon them.

What is the Highways Agency's goal?

The Agency is committed to retaining and motivating staff and those that work as contractors. It also has a responsibility to the people that work for it directly and can influence its contractors to:

The Agency also has responsibilities to the local communities that live in proximity to the highways. This includes considering them from the planning of new road schemes, through their construction and operation. One of the objectives from 'Towards a balance with nature: Highways Agency Environmental Plan' is:

How is the Highways Agency achieving its goal?

The Agency is undertaking the following actions to improve performance with respect to people: As part of our 2003-4 Business Plan the Agency is:

As part of 'Towards a balance with nature: Highways Agency Environmental Plan' the Agency intend to:

As part of the new procurement strategy when selecting and working with suppliers, there will be an emphasis placed on the suppliers' people policies and health and safety. Some key tools for managing the Agency's operations in relation to respect for people are:

Monitoring Progress

The Key Performance Indicators relating to respect for people are set out in the Agency's 2003-4 Business Plan as:

Objective Key Performance Measure Target
Teamwork Average score on the Agency's Partnership Satisfaction Survey. At least 83%
Customer Service Average annual score on Road User Satisfaction Surveys. At least 84%
Diversity IiP accreditation. Maintain
Improvement in job satisfaction as measured in 2003 Staff Survey. At least 5%
Number of interim and final reports against Performance and Development Plans completed within published timeframe. At least 90%

Progress against these KPIs will be reported in the Highways Agency Annual Report.

In Strategic Roads 2010 the Highways Agency 10 Year National Road Strategy (Stakeholder Document) we have set 2 targets:

The Agency is adopting Construction Best Practice Programme Indicators as part of its supplier selection and supplier performance measurement processes relating to this theme. Further sub indicators to support the CBPP indicators may include:

The Agency has registered with the Construction Clients Charter and has been awarded Chartered Client status. The Agency's goal is to achieve year on year continual improvement in its policies and culture against four cultural criteria: Leadership and focus on the client; Quality; Product team integration; and People. The Agency's performance is benchmarked annually against other best practice clients. The people criteria address health and safety and training of the directly employed workforce and that of its suppliers.

Future Development

The Agency is supporting industry in the development of NVQ's for all significant highway activities. A fully qualified workforce has a better status and lower turnover. Workforce demographics show a bias to the upper age bracket with fewer in the lower age brackets. The Agency is working to increase the number of new starters.

View larger image    

Age structure of the construction industry - manual workers
(Source: CITB 2002 Skills Foresight: The skills for the future of construction)

Case Study Sector Schemes

In partnership with industry the Agency has developed a number of quality management sector schemes across a range of highway activities and these address the training, experience and qualifications of operatives, providing safer working practices and delivering better value. In particular the Traffic Management Sector Schemes that address work on high speed roads, are backed by an operative photo card system, providing the Agency with confidence that the operatives can work safely, reducing accidents to themselves and for road users. The photo card system also provides the operative with a meaningful qualification, providing status and the spin off has been less staff turnover.

In partnership with the highways industry and the Construction Industry Training Board the Agency is developing a highways test element as part of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme health and safety test, specifically for highway operatives.

Respect for People

Partnerships to Better Business

What are Partnerships to Better Business?

For the UK construction industry to be consistently world class in delivering products and services that maximise value for clients and end users, and exceed expectations (The Rethinking Construction vision), there is a requirement for client leadership, integrated teams and the addressing of people issues such as health and safety, job satisfaction and personal development. This can only be achieved through the development of partnerships that improve decision making, reduce business risk, help business become more competitive and lead to continual improvement.

Why is this an issue for the Highways Agency?

To deliver improvements to our services and the network the Agency needs to work closely with a wide range of partners and other stakeholders. Through close co-operation with partners the Agency hopes to reduce capital costs and construction times, provide better predictability, have fewer defects and accidents and increase productivity, turnover and profit for all.

What is the Highways Agency's goal?

The Agency continues to deliver the overwhelming proportion of its services through third parties. Contracting-out places a greater emphasis on the Agency developing its intelligent client role, to focus on service outcomes and to set the right technical and performance standards in contracts. This means being at the forefront of best procurement practice, developing better and more effective ways of working in partnership with suppliers.

How is the Highways Agency achieving its goal?

The Procurement Strategy, 'Delivering Best Value Solutions and Services', sets out how the Agency will improve quality, reduce whole life cost and speed up delivery of its major schemes. This will be achieved through the development of longer-term partnerships, an integrated and incentivised supply chain with suppliers being involved early in projects, with better risk sharing between partners and performance measurement with continual improvement targets. This approach is a key element for new highway maintenance and improvement contracts.

The Agency is working closely with industry to improve safety on our network, develop standards, share information, encourage improved products, materials and whole life performance. The Agency has a research programme to develop techniques and keep the Agency at the forefront of the new development of technology.

In addition to the need to comply with legislation and government policy, there are a number of basic principles and tools, which are relevant to partnerships to better business. These are:

Monitoring Progress

Rethinking Construction has set seven annual targets relating to procurement. The Agency works towards these through the Procurement Strategy 'Delivering Best Value Solutions and Services'. These targets will be measured through the Clients Charter:

The Agency is adopting the Construction Best Practice Programme Indicators as part of its supplier selection and supplier performance measurement processes relating to this theme. These are:

The KPI's relating to partnerships to better business are set out in the Agency's 2003-4 Business Plan as:

Objective Key Performance Measure Target
Teamwork Average score on the Agency's Partnership Satisfaction Survey. At least 83%

Progress against this KPI will be reported in the Highways Agency Annual Report.

In Strategic Roads 2010 the Highways Agency 10 Year National Road Strategy, we have set 3 targets:

The Clients' Charter also has relevant targets (see Respect for People - Monitoring Progress)

Future Development

Case Study

M11 Stansted Sliproads

The M11 motorway Stansted junction improvements project, was a partnering contract involving the Highways Agency, BAA Stansted and May Gurney Construction, with consulting engineers, Hyder Consulting and project designers, Gifford, completing the team.

Teamwork, safety, quality, minimum disruption, delivery on time and within budget - these have been the key principles of the project. All parties ran every aspect of the work together as a team from an office on the site at Stansted. Decisions were shared, problems tackled jointly and everyone benefited from working in an environment where all parties combined to achieve a common goal.

Partnerships to Better Business

Tools

Air Quality Assessment

A new road scheme will change local traffic flows, which in turn will impact on air quality. Air Quality Assessments are undertaken to estimate the total air pollution concentrations for a road scheme. This information is then used to assist the development of government policy on air quality, and standards for vehicles and fuel. New road schemes do not always have a negative effect on air pollution, when congestion is reduced vehicles produce fewer emissions.

The Agency is working in partnership with Local Authorities in the delivery of the National Air Quality Strategy by maintaining our guidance on Air Quality Assessment and making available our air quality data via the Internet. The Agency is also working to develop and evaluate traffic control systems, which reduce congestion and vehicle emissions.

Better Business Practice

There are a variety of principles that the Agency is applying to procurement that provide a structure for continual improvement. More information is provided in the Highways Agency Procurement Strategy

Early Contractor Involvement (ECI), design and build contracts - This is about bringing suppliers and designers together much earlier in a schemes conception than previously occurred, allowing them to work together more closely. This allows more scope for innovation, improved risk management, better forward planning of resource requirements and minimisation of environmental impacts, better ability to recruit and retain staff, improved consideration of buildability and health and safety, shorter construction periods and reduced environmental impacts during construction. Overall, the early creation of delivery teams clearly offers the opportunity for better value and improved performance. The first project to incorporate early contractor involvement was the A500 Stoke Pathfinder in 2001.

Long term contractual relationships - The Agency is moving towards long term contractual mechanisms that produce steady business for the suppliers, giving them the incentive for long term investment in people and plant, moving to a culture of shared objectives.

Minimise the burden of tendering on industry - The Agency recognises the high cost of tendering and that these costs do ultimately find their way back to clients. Procedures will be introduced to keep tendering costs to a minimum.

Partnering culture - In a move to develop better value road maintenance and trunk road management, the Agency has developed Managing Agent Contractor contracts (MACs). MACs are part of the Agency's efforts to give a more streamlined and integrated partnership approach in managing the network, providing better services for road users on trunk roads and motorways. The MACs provide innovative solutions to keeping traffic flowing on a number of important routes and will include rapid response vehicles to enable roads to be opened quickly following incidents.

Supply Chain Management - The Agency also requires evidence that firms have developed a partnering culture throughout their organisations and with their supply chains, adopting supply chain management policies and practices, which integrate, encourage and reward good performance. The relationship between contractors and their designers on design and build contracts will be particularly important. The Agency will require arrangements that encourage the development of best value solutions and not solutions that are simply the cheapest to design.

The Agency has established two Supply Chain Management Teams to manage supply chain relationships. Particular attention is being given to the development of business relationships with its key suppliers including the agreement of strategic management objectives to improve standards of business delivery. The teams are responsible for performance reviews, maintain regular contact and carry out site and office visits to assist in the "reality checking" of quality promises and submissions. The assessment of performance is being fed back into the supplier selection process to help judge capability and suitability of firms.

Supplier Performance Assessment and Reporting - The Agency will work with its suppliers to establish consistent indicators, which can be used to identify best practice and measure performance of all those involved in project or service delivery. The need to demonstrate continual improvement will be the basis of longer-term partnerships.

The Agency will introduce 360-degree reporting throughout the supply chain, including suppliers reporting on clients, to ensure that partnerships are operating effectively.

Risk Sharing - The Agency will accept risks where appropriate, provided that suppliers play a full part in effective risk management to minimise cost and other consequences. The emphasis in the selection process has now moved to quality aspects, seeking to select firms best able to identify optimal solutions and to deliver them efficiently and safely. Price will be taken into account in terms of affordability and how much the Agency will pay for added value. The Agency will assess the attitude and ability of firms to manage risks, remove wastage, improve efficiency and to control costs. The Agency will also use risk schedules to help ensure that potential risks are identified and are allocated clearly and fairly under the contract.

Small and Medium Size Firms - The Agency's programme of work is increasing and it will be important to ensure that there are adequate resources available to deliver the programmes. It will mean that the HA will continue to make use, where appropriate, of good quality, small or medium size firms either directly or through the supply chain.

Considerate Constructors Scheme

All our suppliers are required to belong to the Considerate Constructors Scheme (http://www.ccscheme.org.uk/). This is a code of practice which recognises improved standards of site management, safety and environmental awareness and seeks to minimise noise, dirt, offensive behaviour and the inconvenience that can sometimes be associated with construction sites.

Construction Skills Certification Scheme

The Agency will require suppliers to have a fully registered and qualified workforce through the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) (http://www.cscs.uk.com/) or one of its equivalents. We are committed to the concept of a fully qualified workforce, take this into account in supplier selection and monitor suppliers' commitment to the Agency's target.

CSCS ensures that operatives' skills have been validated against national standards and that they have the required knowledge and the appropriate health and safety training to operate safely on site. We recognise that currently not all highway construction and maintenance activities are supported by appropriate qualifications such as NVQs. We are working in partnership with others to establish these qualifications.

Environmental and Landscape Management Tools

Working on behalf of the Agency, Managing Agents (appointed to maintain the different areas of the highway network) have many responsibilities for protecting and enhancing the environment. In many cases, Managing Agents are required to undertake the necessary survey work and produce five year Environmental Management Plans for the soft estate. These plans are closely related to their duties in compiling, updating and using the Environmental Database (see below). The identification of opportunities, design and implementation of specific Environmental Improvements on the network is also an integral part of the Managing Agents role. The scale of such environmental improvements will vary depending on the local situation and may include minor planting schemes, noise mitigation, biodiversity species/habitat enhancement measures or water quality protection measures. Further information on these tools can be found in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Volume 10, Section 0 (see http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/dmrb/index.htm).

Environmental Database

The Agency's Environmental Database comprises text and map-based information relating to landscape, noise, water, biodiversity and heritage elements within the highway estate. The Agency's Managing Agents use the database for operational purposes (e.g. when prioritising maintenance and other network management activities and defining the need for associated environmental assessment work). The Agency also uses it at a strategic level for statistical analysis, conducting audits and determining legal compliance. More information on the Environmental Database is provided in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Volume 10, Section 0, Part 6 - (see http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/dmrb/index.htm).

Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental Impact Assessment is the primary tool for the assessment of the effects of a proposed project on the environment and is legally required for projects of a certain type and scale. Environmental Impact Assessments for major Highways Agency projects are undertaken within the provisions of the Highways (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1999. The Agency also applies similar environmental assessment principles to smaller scale works (such as network improvements involving works within the existing highway corridor). Environmental Impact Assessments typically cover the following topics: Air Quality; Cultural Heritage; Construction Effects; Ecology and Nature Conservation; Landscape; Land Use; Noise and Vibration; Pedestrians, Cyclists and Communities; Vehicles; Travellers; Water Quality and Drainage; Geology and Soils; Policies and Plans. Guidance on Environmental Impact Assessment is provided in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Volume 11 (see http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/dmrb/index.htm)

The Highways Agency is currently modernising Volume 11 of the DMRB to maintain it as the definitive guidance document for the Environmental Impact Assessment of highway schemes.

Environmental Management Systems

An Environmental Management System provides a systematic way of dealing with environmental issues within an organisation. This allows the organisation to identify relevant environmental legislation and comply with it, identify relevant environmental issues and set mechanisms in place for their improvement and provide training and procedures to ensure staff understand what is expected of them and that they meet these expectations. Environmental Management Systems help to:

Guidance and Specifications - Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, the Trunk Road Maintenance Manual and the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works

Guidance for the management of motorways and trunk roads is currently provided in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), the Trunk Road Maintenance Manual (TRMM) and the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works (MCHW), produced by the Highways Agency.

Further information and guidance on issues such as Vegetative Treatment Systems in Highway Drainage, Environmental Protection and Archaeology can be found in Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Volume 10 (see http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/dmrb/index.htm)

Health and Safety

The Agency has a responsibility to protect the health and safety of those that work for it. Health and safety policies and performance are a very important factor in the selection of suppliers. Firms will need to demonstrate a strong corporate commitment, supported by a robust health and safety structure and a good safety record. Improved health and safety performance will be delivered by improvements to the Agency's procurement procedures including:

National Highways Sector Schemes

The National Highways Sector Schemes are another key tool established to provide a quality benchmark for planning, training and management.

People Policies

The Agency looks for evidence from suppliers that they have a commitment to their staff. This can be through Investors in People (IIP) accreditation (http://www.iipuk.co.uk/) or the use of procedures based on the Movement for Innovation's (M4i) Respect for People toolkits (http://www.m4i.org.uk/).

Partnerships

Partnerships are essential for any multidisciplinary task. The Agency has worked in partnership with statutory environmental bodies on a series of joint projects. For example, Research and Development undertaken by English Nature and the Highways Agency on butterfly conservation in relation to the A30 upgrade. The Agency has also worked closely with the Department for Transport, English Nature, English Heritage and the Countryside Agency in the development of appraisal techniques for highways schemes.

This emphasises that the protection of species, habitats, landscapes and heritage are not simply the remit of the conservation organisations, but should also be the responsibility of business, private utilities, local communities and a range of other interested parties.

Road Users Charter

The Road Users Charter sets out how the Agency aims to make the best possible use of existing roads in order to benefit all road users. The Agency objectives under the Charter are as follows:

Road Users Survey

The Agency aims to constantly improve its service to road users and other customers. The Road Users' Satisfaction Survey is an independent survey, which measures awareness of, and satisfaction with, the Agency's services nation-wide. Further information on the Road Users Survey available here

Route Management Strategies

The way the Agency thinks about planning roads and other transport has changed. It now needs to look at the regional picture, focus on local needs, and consider how we can integrate road planning with other transport and planning decisions.

The Route Management Strategy (RMS) process has been developed to help the Agency to do this, by taking a strategic approach to the maintenance, operation and improvement of its network, and involving regional stakeholders and the public in the decision-making process. Each RMS will lead to the adoption of a ten-year strategy and a three-year investment plan for each of the routes comprising the strategic road network.

The New Approach to Appraisal

The New Approach to Appraisal assesses the impact of transport studies and schemes in a balanced way. It is used to assess the impacts of infrastructure contracts across the Government's five objectives for transport (environment, safety, economy, accessibility and integration). The links between the New Approach to Appraisal and other assessment processes (including Environmental Impact Assessment) are outlined in "A New Deal for Transport - The New Approach to Appraisal" (available from the Department for Transport website - http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/economics/rdg/multimodal/anewdealfortrunkroadsinengla5491)

Whole Life Costing

Whole Life Costing is a process that aims to look at "every cost incurred in respect of a facility or product from inception to disposal", that is the total costs associated with the purchasing, construction, use during service-life, maintenance and disposal at the end of life. In the Agency's case this could be the provision of a pavement (the road), a bridge, lights, drainage, noise barrier, tunnel etc. The objective is to make investment decisions with an understanding of the consequences of these decisions. Costs need to include not just the direct costs of constructing and maintaining a facility but also the costs imposed on society and the environment by its use and operation, (for example, the costs to the users when they are delayed by maintenance work).

Compiled by the Centre for Sustainability (http://www.c4s.info/) and TRL Limited (http://www.trl.co.uk/)

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