Strategic business plan 2020-2025 We are ighways ngland People rely on our roads to connect people and drive the economy Since 2015 Since 2015, we have helped customers make safer and more reliable journeys on Carrying 3x more We have reduced the number our roads. Our 4,300 miles of motorways people than the UK rail network of casualties on our roads by and major A-roads help people travel from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Penzance, and from Carlisle to Dover. Everything we do, from designing our roads to clearing incidents, 18% helps keep traffic moving 24 hours a day, billion and miles 34 68% 365 days a year. are travelled on of all traffic of all freight As one of England’s largest landowners, the SRN every year we have a strong focus on sustainability. We are proud of the work we do to look after the wildlife that lives alongside our network, Our work helps unlock housing and employment sites and to protect and improve the environment for future generations. We work closely with Since 2015 our investment into our Growth and housing fund will have helped create: local communities, making sure our roads benefit them. We have opened 36 enhancement schemes 44,000 45,000 jobs for traffic since 2015. Some have helped connect communities to work. Others have houses stimulated economic growth and housing. Many have provided alternative routes for walkers and cyclists. All have helped to connect the country. We care about the communities that live near our roads We are always innovating and looking Since 2015 we have committed over £528 million to projects which have: at more efficient ways of delivering our projects, making sure we deliver value for Provided alternative money for the taxpayer. With demand for routes for walkers our roads set to increase, we are already and cyclists looking ahead to make sure our network is ready for future generations. Reduced noise Reduced air pollution Protected biodiversity Alleviated flooding Front cover photo: Traffic Officers patrol the M11, near Duxford, Cambridgeshire highwaysengland.co.uk/5yearStrategicbusinessplan 02 03 The strategic documents at a glance 04 08 In the second Road investment strategy This Strategic business plan is Foreword What our customers can expect (RIS2), government set out their vision. supported by our Delivery plan, which They depict a safer, more reliable and provides the detail of specific funding, greener strategic road network (SRN) activities and projects we will deliver that uses new technology, supports over the five years. It also discusses 18 Our performance goals the economy and is integrated into the how we approach efficiency and risk national transport network. management. Our Delivery plan includes our performance framework, which This document, our Strategic business 20 24 28 brings together all our delivery aims for Improving safety for all Providing fast A well-maintained plan, responds to and aligns with the second road period. and reliable journeys and resilient network government’s RIS2. It provides the high-level direction for every part of Highways England for the second 32 36 40 road period (2020 to 2025), setting the Delivering better Meeting the Achieving efficient delivery environmental outcomes needs of all users outcomes we will work to deliver and the strategic priorities for our business. 44 47 Planning for Annex: Funding table future road periods highwaysengland.co.uk/5yearStrategicbusinessplan 04 05 Foreword Our Strategic business plan sets out our approach to building on our work in the first road period between 2015-2020. It describes a balanced portfolio of investment to maintain and operate the strategic road network (SRN) safely, and provide new capacity where it is most needed. It sets out our commitment to protecting the environment and communities, while getting our roads ready to support future businesses, jobs and homes. Our work will improve journey times and reliability for the freight industry, and help drive the country’s economy. On 11 March 2020, as part of the Budget, Techniques like modular, off-site the chancellor announced a £27.4 billion construction have helped reduce disruption budget for investment in the SRN between to customers, increased the safety of our 2020 and 2025. The publication of the people and delivered benefits faster. government’s second Road investment strategy (RIS2) on the same day provided Having the certainty of long-term more detail. It recognised the importance investment, and a schedule of committed of the SRN to the economy, social schemes and targets, has helped us move wellbeing and connecting the country. away from managing the SRN as individual It demonstrated government’s confidence pieces of asset, such as tarmac, concrete, in our ability to deliver our challenging bridges and signs. We’ve reached a place programme of activity, which we have where government considers our roads as now presented in this document. It is a a fully integrated system, and a part of the big plan, and we are confident in our broader UK transport network. As a result, abilities to deliver it because of what we we can work better with our stakeholders have achieved in the last five years. and with our supply chain as partners. We offer much improved customer service, Thinking back to how we were building and we are starting to clear the back log roads five years ago shows us how far of decades of under investment in the we’ve come. Traditional road design and country’s most important transport network. build techniques that had not changed significantly for decades were the standard. The last five years have also presented But, on schemes like our flagship A14 challenges, and we’ve learnt much. We Huntingdon to Cambridge*, we have have balanced a programme of works to introduced new practices which have maintain our ageing network alongside transformed the industry. the need to build new roads. Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Executive, Highways England * The £1.4bn A14 scheme was delivered on time an on budget with a number of sections opening up to a year early. 06 Foreword 07 We understand that a poor travel Building on the stakeholder partnerships experience and delays on our network we have developed through our Designated can have big impacts on individuals, Funds programme, we will work with others businesses and communities. so our projects have even bigger benefits for the communities alongside our roads. We’re taking our learning from our first And by working with organisations such as five years into this new road period. Over sub-national transport bodies, we will make the next five years, the safety of our road sure that every part of the country feels the users and our people will remain our first benefit of our work. imperative. We will reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the We’ll do all of this and deliver efficiencies SRN by 50%. of £2.23 billion, providing even better value to the taxpayer than achieved in the We will also clear incidents more quickly last five years. and keep our roads better maintained. We will clear at least 86% of incidents within Looking further, we will develop our plans an hour and will make sure that 95% of our for the third road period and beyond. By road surfaces meet our standards. working closely with our supply chain, we will understand the challenges they face, and We will keep our customers well informed make sure they are equipped for the future. by making sure that at least 90% of the information we publish about roadworks is We have set out more detail about how we accurate. And we will be a good neighbour will achieve all of this in our Delivery plan to those who live and work near our roads, 2020-2025, which is published alongside doing even more to minimise our impact on this document. the environment we live in. We know that society faces complex We want our network to create a challenges over the next decade and positive legacy for future generations. beyond. How, for example, we can In this road period we will reduce our improve air quality, cut carbon emissions own carbon emissions and support and improve biodiversity as part of a government’s ambition to achieve net vibrant, forward-looking economy. Our aim zero carbon by 2050. is to create a sustainable SRN that meets the future needs of our stakeholders, road We will also use our data and knowledge users, communities and the environment to get ready for a fully digital era and the we live in. developments that will bring, such as digitally connected and autonomous vehicles. Woodhead Reservoir, Peak District Jim O’Sullivan highwaysengland.co.uk/5yearStrategicbusinessplan 08 09 How we run our network Investing in our people and our What our customers organisation to develop new Designated funds technology and further improve our Delivering projects which will capabilities and information systems. can expect Scheme development have wider benefits for Preparing for the third road customers, neighbouring period and planning for a network £1.1bn communities, the environment Over the second road period that meets the future needs of and the economy, and addressing the country, our customers and issues beyond the traditional Responding to government’s RIS2, we have developed a clear programme for the neighbouring communities. focus of road investment. second road period. We will balance our funds across enhancements schemes and operating, maintaining and renewing our roads. We will use our designated funds to address issues beyond the traditional focus of road investment, including to help reduce our carbon footprint. Our whole programme will keep the country moving and create greater capacity to connect businesses, families and friends.