September 2024
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The conference assessed next steps for road infrastructure in England.
It was an opportunity to discuss priorities for managing and investing in England’s Strategic Road Network in preparation for the expected implementation of National Highways’ Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3) next year.
The conference was a timely opportunity for delegates to discuss the new Government’s policy priorities for the future of road infrastructure.
It also took place in the context of:
- the ORR’s investigation of National Highways’ performance, finding significant challenges and uncertainties to be faced over the final year of England’s strategic road network funding period
- the Government scrapping the £2bn A303 Stonehenge tunnel scheme and A27 bypass as part of transport infrastructure cuts
- the NAO’s recently published report on the declining condition of local roads and the increasing backlog for the DfT
- the Government’s proposal to develop a 10-year infrastructure strategy
- the NIC’s recently published Infrastructure Progress Review 2024, calling for RIS3 funding to match that of the original funding allocation for RIS2
- the CCC’s Progress in reducing emissions: 2023 Report to Parliament, recommending a more strategic review to assess whether large scale schemes are consistent with environmental goals
Stakeholders and policymakers explored how priorities outlined in National Highways’ Our Route Strategies and the transport infrastructure priorities of the new Government will impact the overall shape of the draft of RIS3, due for publication later this year.
Delegates also assessed the future direction of government investment in road infrastructure projects in light of the recent cuts to transport infrastructure, and the impact these might have on the scope of RIS3. As stakeholders wait to hear whether the new Government will continue the previous government’s promise to spend £8bn from the cancellation of phase 2 of HS2 on local road projects, delegates considered implications that the wider review of the transport infrastructure portfolio might have on road projects and investment, amongst wider concerns raised by the NAO and road users over the condition of local roads.
The agenda included a focus on lessons learned from RIS2 and implications for the scope and delivery of RIS3, with the Transport Committee citing overly ambitious schemes as the cause for uncertainty, delays and under-delivery in their Strategic road investment inquiry held in the last Parliament, as well as the ORR’s investigation into National Highways’ performance which found that the benefits of the RIS2 are at risk of not being delivered in full.
It was also an opportunity to assess how the Welsh Government’s decision to end new, major road-building projects might be learned from in England and potentially guide any future reviews. Sessions in the agenda addressed environmental concerns surrounding existing schemes such as the Lower Thames Crossing that have been deferred from RIS2, as well as implications of the Stonehenge tunnel cancellation on the future direction of road infrastructure investment, with it initially due to be rolled over.
Further sessions explored long-term priorities and challenges for moving England’s road infrastructure forward, the role of road infrastructure in improving regional connectivity, next steps for proposals outlined in the previous government’s Network North programme, and the impact of potential reforms to NIC and IPA on future road infrastructure development.
We are pleased to have been able to include keynote sessions with: David Buttery, Director, Roads Strategy, DfT; Rachel Gittens, Deputy Director, Strategic Road Network, ORR; Katherine Beard, Director, Future Road Investment Strategy and Government Relations, National Highways; Hannah Brown, Director, Policy, NIC; and Jonny Mood, Director, Transport Value for Money, NAO.
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who attended from ORR; Defra; DfT; MHCLG; DBT; DSIT; EA; GLD; HMT; and the Welsh Government.
The proceedings of the conference will be circulated more widely, to Parliamentarians, ministerial offices, and government and regulatory officials with an interest in the issues being discussed. All delegates will also receive a video recording of the conference.
