Highways and Roads: the Big Picture

The Highways Agency [highways] is responsible for managing, maintaining and improving the strategic road network in England on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport [dft]. This public asset is worth over £72 billion and provides a vital service to commerce and industry and to the lives of individuals and communities.

The network varies from motorways carrying up to 200,000 vehicles per day to single carriageway trunk roads (the major A roads) carrying fewer than 10,000 vehicles per day. Real time traffic information can be found on its “Traffic England” service [traffic england]. Each of the Agency’s fourteen areas is assigned an Area team and a contractor, known as a Managing Agent. Each Area team and its contractor (or Managing Agent) is responsible for the maintenance of the Agency's roads in their area.  Area teams are part of Traffic Operations (TO) Directorate. To find the roads in our local area key in [highways+area10]

In Spring 2004, Highways Agency Traffic Officers [highways+knowledge/601] began working alongside the police. Traffic Officers are now patrolling motorways across the whole country. The Police will still retain responsibility for investigation of criminality; Traffic Officers will help to coordinate resources of other emergency services, manage traffic and re-open routes. Traffic Officers are trained in everything from First Aid and safety, to dealing with customers, traffic management and the use of technology.

The Agency manages a series of larger projects, including the government's Targeted Programme of Improvements [highways+tpi].  These are major road projects costing more than £5 million.

Parts of the motorway and trunk road network are managed under Private Finance Initiative. These contracts are known as "Design, Build, Finance and Operate" contracts. [highways+2646]. With a few exceptions, the Highways Agency is responsible for all bridges on the trunk road network in England.  The Highways Agency is also responsible for most other structures associated with those roads, such as drainage culverts, sign gantries, lighting columns and retaining walls.

Other roads in England are managed by local authorities. Salford City Council is the highway authority for Salford.

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