Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Related pages

• Installing Apparatus on the Highway
• Street Works - Highways Agency interface with Local Authorities and Undertakers

Background

New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA)

The New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) provides a legislative framework for street works activities by undertakers (including public utilities).  The efficient co-ordination of street works is one of the most important aspects of street works legislation, benefiting street authorities, undertakers and road users alike.  The key objectives of NRSWA are to:

• ensure safety
• to minimise inconvenience to people using a street, including a specific reference to people with a disability
• to protect the structure of the street and the apparatus in it.

Whilst sections of the HA's roads are geographically located within specific Local Authority (LA) areas, those LAs have no responsibility as a Highway Authority or Street Authority for the strategic road network. The roads that make up the strategic road network are shown on the network map.

Operational structure

To manage the road network the Highways Agency has a number of Managing Agent Contractors (MAC) who are responsible for the roads within a given geographical area. In addition the Highways Agency appoints a number of Design Build Finance and Operate (DBFO) or Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts for specific roads that run through a MAC area.

The Highways Agency's legal powers and obligation under the Highways Act 1980 and NRSWA are devolved to these MAC /DBFO /PFI contractors.

The operational areas and general contact details for each of these contractors are shown on the network map.

Notices

All notices under NRSWA identify the street the notice relates to by using the National Streets Gazetteer (NSG). Each Street Authority is responsible for producing its own gazetteer of streets; the Highways Agency produces its own gazetteer called the Trunk Road Street Gazetteer (TRSG). The TRSG and the Local Street Gazetteer (LSG) produced by each Local Highway Authority (LHA) collectively makes up the NSG, this is available to authorised users from the NSG web site (http://www.thensg.org.uk).

For completeness the streets that make up the TRSG within any particular LHA area are also included in LSG for that area. The naming convention of the streets that make up the TRSG may differ between the LSG version and the TRSG version of the street; this is due to the fact that LSG uses street names or location descriptions and the TRSG uses road numbers The TRSG version of the street must be used in all instances when serving a notice under NRSWA.

General contact details for each MAC /DBFO /PFI contractor are shown on the network map. Specific street work contact details for each MAC /DBFO /PFI for Undertaker use is contained in the Highways Agency Operational District (OD) file which is part of the TRSG.

Streets with Restrictions on Works

By serving the appropriate notices under Section 58 of NRSWA, the Highways Agency as the Street Authority may restrict further works for up to five years following the execution of substantial highway works.

You can view a list of NRSWA Section 58 notices served.

By serving the appropriate notices under Section 58A of NRSWA, the Highways Agency as the Street Authority may restrict further works for up to one year following the execution of substantial undertakers' works.

Section 61 Consents

Under Section 61 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA), the Highways Agency, may grant consent for the placing of apparatus by an Undertaker in a protected street. Consent is not required for the renewal of existing apparatus, if the apparatus is to be placed using a Section 50 street works licence or if consent is required under any other Act.

Protected Streets

Undertakers have statutory powers to install and maintain their apparatus in a public highway, except where that highway is a Special Road as defined in the Highways Act 1980 (i.e. Motorway). The Highways Agency as street authority has the powers to designate additional roads as Protected Streets under section 62 of NRSWA. The effect of this is that statutory undertakers are unable to exercise their statutory powers, to install apparatus in a public highway, without the specific consent of the Highways Agency.

By serving the appropriate notices under Section 62 of NRSWA, the Highways Agency as the Street Authority has given notice of its intention to designate a street as Protected.

NRSWA Section 62 notices served

You can view a list of NRSWA Section 62 notices served.