Better information for your journey
The National Traffic Control Centre collects real-time information on road conditions.
How We Manage Our Roads
In this section you can find out more about how we manage and maintain these roads and plan for the future
The Project Control Framework
On 1st April 2008 we launched the Project Control Framework. The Framework sets out how we, together with the Department for Transport, manage and deliver major improvement projects.
Traffic news on your desktop
Helpful ways to access the latest traffic information when you need it.
The Appraisal Process and Appraisal Summary Tables
The Department for Transport New Approach To Appraisal (NATA) has been developed to provide a framework to appraise, and determine the prioritisation of, transport investment proposals (guidance at www.webTAG.org.uk). This appraisal takes into account five criteria:
- Environment
- Safety
- Economy
- Accessibility and
- Integration
The purpose for this approach is to inform decision makers and assist with choosing between different options for solving the same problem, prioritising between proposals and assessing value for money.
An important element of this approach is the Appraisal Summary Table (AST). This is a summary of key consequences relating to environmental, economic and social impacts of a trunk road scheme. All the criteria are divided into a number of sub-objectives, to reflect the wide variety of change arising from trunk road schemes.
Positive and negative impacts are expressed in the following way:
- Qualitatively – using words to describe the main impacts
- Quantitatively – using numbers to measure the scale of the impacts; and
- Summary assessment score – using a monetary value, a qualitative indicator or a textual ranking.
These measures are used to provide a systematic and consistent decision making basis to determine which trunk road schemes should proceed and the option to choose.
There are three key milestones when trunk road scheme ASTs are prepared and reviewed internally. These are:
- At the scheme ‘Options’ phase to inform the public consultation;
- To inform the preferred route selection; and,
- At the scheme ‘Development’ to inform decisions following the publication of the Environmental Statement/Draft Orders.
An AST would also be prepared to reflect:
- Scheme design changes;
- Traffic data change; and
- When webTAG introduces changes that must be adopted.
To find an AST for a particular scheme please visit the appropriate road project page which can accessed via our Road Poject Search page.
For further information please contact the Highways Agency Information Line.
