£1m to help reduce road works disruption

Money will fund 18-month project to examine innovative engineering techniques to help carry work out more swiftly

A £1m fund to research and develop new technology to cut road works disruption has been launched.

The money will fund an 18-month project by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to examine innovative engineering techniques which could see utilities use temporary road surfacing methods and fast-setting replacement road surfaces.

This would allow utility companies to carry out more work at quieter times and re-open roads during peak traffic periods to reduce delays and disruption.

Funding will be provided equally by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL).

It has also been confirmed that work is progressing at the DfT on drafting regulations that would allow local authorities to run lane rental schemes.

The Mayor has asked TfL to develop proposals for a targeted lane rental scheme on the capital’s busiest roads at peak times. That would incentivise utilities and other companies to carry out road works during the less busy periods of the day to reduce their impact on the travelling public.

Consultation on the new regulations and TfL's proposals for a lane rental scheme will take place over the summer and, if approved, regulations would be in place by the end of the year, allowing the Mayor to apply to have the country's first lane rental scheme up and running in London in the first half of 2012.

Secretary of State for Transport, Philip Hammond, said: "This project will investigate how innovative engineering can provide greater flexibility and allow more road works to be carried out at times when the travelling public will be least inconvenienced."

Further information:
Department for Transport