Chris Spencer, Intelligence & Performance Analysis lead for Highways England says: “Historically we have had an issue with silo working with directorates for operations, roads investment and Smart Motorways developing their own separate programmes of work for the next few years. There was never one definitive platform listing all schemes and it was not visualised in GIS format before.”

 

Schemes listed on the database can be highlighted on a map to clearly show which other schemes are planned nearby and who is responsible for them. Managers can more easily discuss how their projects affect each other.

 

In the South East, managers in Area 3 responsible for highway maintenance identified 30 opportunities in one year where schemes could be paired up for delivery or where certain works may not be essential. Plans to repaint white lines were scrapped on one motorway scheme after it was found that another project would soon be carried out on the same stretch of road. “Not only are we saving money but avoiding the own goals of doing work twice,” says Chris. “By avoiding these sorts of scenarios we are helping to ease congestion.” 

 

The technology can be used by Highways England’s correspondence teams. Members of the public will be given better information about planned work.