Annex C: maintenance and renewals

Components

Maintenance

C.1 National Highways has a legal duty under the Highways Act 1980 and its licence to maintain the strategic road network (SRN). Maintenance is split into two budget categories:

  • routine cyclical and reactive work to keep users safe and the network serviceable (resource); and
  • renewal of life-expired assets (capital).

C.2 Table C1 shows a summary of the key performance indicators (KPI) and performance indicators (PI) that the company reports against each category in the second road investment strategy (RIS2). From 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 (the reporting year) the capital maintenance and renewals budget was £926 million, and the resource operation and maintenance budget was £420 million.

Table C.1 Maintenance categories

Maintenance type Primary reporting source
Capital maintenance and renewals – renewal of assets Renewals delivered against annual commitment
Capital budget expenditure
Resource operations and maintenance – fixing defects, for example, potholes routine maintenance, for example, cleansing drainage systems, and inspections Maintenance performance statement (defects, cyclical and reactive maintenance, inspections)
Resource budget expenditure

Maintenance activity performance

C.3 Table C2 details how National Highways’ performance delivering winter services, collecting litter, and undertaking cyclical reactive maintenance has changed since reporting year 31 March 2020 to 1 April 2021. In the reporting year, National Highways reported a similar maintenance activity performance compared to the previous year, noting a marginal improvement in its cyclical maintenance performance.

Table C.2 Summary of National Highways’ maintenance activity performance between April 2020 and March 2023

Maintenance Activity Activity Description 2020-21 (%) 2021-22 (%) 2022-23 (%)
Winter service The percentage of precautionary salting delivered within time 100 99 100
Winter service Percentage of instances where running lanes were available 100 100 100
Litter Percentage of planned litter clearance activities undertaken 95 92 92
Cyclical maintenance (AD areas only) Percentage of cyclic works that are completed within the required timescales 77 79 83
Reactive maintenance (AD areas only) Percentage of reactive, less than 24 hour works that are completed within the required timescales 91 93 93

Defect management

C.4 An indicator of maintenance performance is how promptly National Highways addresses defects such as potholes. Table C3 and C4 summarise defect performance since April 2019. Two categories of performance are provided:

  • the percentage of high priority defects addressed within 24 hours; and
  • the percentage of other defects addressed within the required timescale for that defect type.


C.5 In the second year of RP2 National Highways merged some of the defect type categories that it reports performance against to align with its revised data standards. Table C3 shows the gaps in performance data that have emerged as a result, where those applicable to Asset Delivery (AD) areas are noted.

C.6 National Highways reported that the company’s performance has deteriorated failing to address both high priority and normal defects across most defect types within the required timescales.

C.7 National Highways indicated that the impact on the SRN as a result of deteriorating maintenance performance is due to issues in transferring to the Asset Delivery contract model.

Table C.3 Summary of National Highways' priority (within 24 hours) defects performance between April 2019 and March 2023

Defect type 2019-20 (%) 2020-21 (%) 2021-22 (%) 2022-23 (%)
Paved area (road surfacing) 90.6 94.7 94.8 85.6
Road markings and road studs 93.5 95.1 Not applicable Not applicable
Traffic signs, road markings and road studs Not applicable Not applicable 95.6 89.6
Vehicle restraint systems (safety barriers) 95.0 92.7 93.8 93.9
Lighting 81.1 89.8 91.5 80.9
Signage 89.0 93.1 Not applicable Not applicable
Soft estate (AD areas) 90.3 90.9 94.9 86.9
Reactive sweeping and cleaning actions (excluding graffiti) (AD areas) 96.9 97.4 Not applicable Not applicable
Sweeping and cleaning – offensive graffiti 100.0 80.0 Not applicable Not applicable
Sweeping and cleaning (including offensive and non-offensive graffiti) Not applicable Not applicable 93.1 83.0
Fences and walls 91.2 97.7 96.0 91.0
Drainage and service ducts (AD areas) 91.1 94.0 94.3 84.2
Geotechnical (AD areas) 83.3 100.0 99.4 None reported
Structures (AD areas) 85.1 98.3 92.5 None reported

Table C.4 Summary of National Highways' non-priority defect performance between April 2019 and March 2023

Defect type 2019-20 (%) 2020-21 (%) 2021-22 (%) 2022-23 (%)
Paved area (road surfacing) 85.6 95.4 94.5 85.7
Road markings and road studs 77.4 93.4 Not applicable Not applicable
Traffic signs, road markings and road studs Not applicable Not applicable 91.5 84.8
Vehicle restraint systems (safety barriers) 77.7 93.0 89.1 85.3
Lighting 84.3 86.3 88.9 78.3
Signage 81.7 93.5 Not applicable Not applicable
Soft estate (AD areas) 75.8 87.7 85.1 88.9
Reactive sweeping and cleaning actions (excluding graffiti) (AD areas) 90.0 95.1 Not applicable Not applicable
Sweeping and cleaning – offensive graffiti 78.3 95.6 Not applicable Not applicable
Sweeping and cleaning (including offensive and non-offensive graffiti) Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable 86.9
Fences and walls 79.4 95.1 93.3 86.1
Drainage and service ducts (AD areas) 69.5 91.0 87.3 62.5
Geotechnical (AD areas) 77.3 100.0 94.9 100.0
Structures (AD areas) 75.3 96.2 93.1 90.2

Insurance claims processing

C.8 Green and red claims are insurance claims against motorist or their insurers, or against National Highways. They provide an indication of the company’s performance against its statutory obligations and how well it is recouping financial loss:

  • Green claims occur where the SRN has been damaged by a road user, for example from a collision, and the company needs to recoup costs to repair the asset damage; and
  • Red claims are processed where a loss has occurred to a road user as a result of the company not meeting its requirements to maintain highway and the company pays out for the loss.

C.9 Tables C5 and C6 provide a summary of the number of claims and number of settled claims of each type. In the reporting year National Highways recorded a 75% and 27% increase in red and green claims, respectively from the previous reporting year. Furthermore, the company reported an 18% and 14% decrease in red and green settled claims, respectively from the previous reporting year.

Table C.5 Total number of National Highways' claims between April 2018 and March 2023

Claim type 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
Red claims 2,239 1,751 1,284 1,198 2,097
Green claims 4,937 3,906 5,155 6,898 8,762

Table C.6 Total number of National Highways' settled claims between April 2018 and March 2023

Claim type 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
Red claims 992 394 764 512 419
Green claims Not available 706 3,848 7,420 6,397

Asset inspection performance

C.10 Inspection performance shows that National Highways is meeting its requirements to inspect the SRN and gives us assurance that the asset performance that the company reports under its key performance indicators and performance indicators is based on accurate, timely condition data. Table C7 provides a summary of National Highways’ planned inspection performance.

C.11 National Highways improved the percentage performance of inspection programme completed for structures, safety barriers, and traffic signs and technology. Lighting and geotechnical inspections reduced. The company reported that its reduced performance in lighting is due to outstanding inspections in South East, South West and North West, with those regions identifying actions to resolve this. Reduced performance in geotechnical inspections is due to outstanding inspections in South East region, with the company reporting a plan is in place to ensure these are completed by the end of June 2023. We will scrutinise National Highways inspection performance in completing outstanding inspections.

Table C.7 Summary of planned inspections that National Highways completed between April 2019 and March 2023

Asset type 2019-20 (%) 2020-21 (%) 2021-22 (%) 2022-23 (%)
Structures 92.2 97.0 92.0 96.5
Vehicle restraint system (safety barrier) 79.4 84.7 88.0 90.9
Lighting 66.3 116.0 89.0 76.7
Geotechnical 82.8 95.0 101.0 88.4
Traffic signs and technology 92.3 85.0 101.0 107.9

Renewals

Asset renewal delivery

C.12 National Highways’ 2022 delivery plan set out the volumes of renewals work it planned to deliver during the year. The company reports renewals work under two categories for the second road period (RP2): routine cyclical renewals; and, work termed major life-extension renewals. Major life-extension renewals include:

  • road surfacing – asphalt and concrete;
  • safety barriers – steel and concrete; and
  • significant structures (such as the refurbishment of bridges with greatest need).

C.13 In the reporting year, National Highways delivered its planned volumes of renewals against all major life-extension assets with the exception of concrete safety barriers, where it underdelivered by 21%. The company has reported this is due to difficulties in agreeing financial sign off with a Design Build Finance Operate (DBFO) organisation for a large scheme in the Yorkshire and North East region; the scheme would have contributed 3,750 linear metres to the renewals reporting for the third year of RP2 resulting in a potential variance of 9%.

C.14 National Highways underdelivered on three routine cyclical asset types. The company reported the following reasons for missing its renewals:

  • bridge bearing (-1%) – missed commitment by one bridge bearing;
  • waterproofing (-9%) – missed commitment by 2,091 m2 due to a combination of transferring to Asset Delivery model and delays on two schemes, and scope changes to another; and
  • technology renewals and improvements (-0.67%) – missed commitment by three technology renewal schemes.

C.15 National Highways reported significant over delivery of kerbs 87% and drainage 85%. The company told us the primary reason for over delivery is due to the secondary benefits of a renewal being realised. For example, some over delivery in kerb renewals is due to East region not identifying the secondary kerb outputs related to concrete roads renewal in its forward programme.

C.16 On average, National Highways delivered within 20% of its plan for all renewal asset types, this is compared to within 18% in the second year of RP2. This demonstrates a similar performance. However, it is important that the company is able to demonstrate adequate planning capability to evidence the right asset intervention is planned and renewed to assure optimum approach to asset management. 

Table C.8 Volumes of renewals delivered compared to plan in reporting year
 

Type of renewal Asset renewal description Planned output Actual output Output variance (%)
Major life-extension renewals Safety barriers – steel (kilometres) 350 377 8
Major life-extension renewals Safety barriers – concrete (kilometres) 13 10 -21
Major life-extension renewals Road surface – asphalt (lane kilometres) 1,350 1,606 19
Major life-extension renewals Significant structures (number) 39 44 13
Major life-extension renewals Road surface – concrete (lane kilometres) 77 81 5
Renewal of roads Traffic signs (number) 2,000 2,117 6
Renewal of roads Kerbs (kilometres) 10 18 87
Renewal of roads Drainage (kilometres) 130 240 85
Renewal of roads Road markings (kilometres) 3,300 3,665 11
Renewal of roads Guardrail (kilometres) 0.5 0.8 56
Renewal of roads Boundary fencing (kilometres) 57 62 10
Renewal of roads Geotechnical (kilometres) 1.8 2.5 37
Renewal of roads Lighting (number) 600 712 19
Renewal of structures Bridge bearing (number) 100 99 -1
Renewal of structures Bridge joint (number) 350 469 34
Renewal of structures Parapet (kilometres) 4.5 5.0 11
Renewal of structures Waterproofing (square metres) 24,000 21,909 -9
Renewal of technology Motorway communication equipment (number) 300 353 18
Renewal of technology Technology renewals and improvements (number) 450 447 -1

C.17 Figure C1 shows that National Highways delivered the majority of road surfacing (concrete and asphalt) renewals between January 2023 and March 2023; reflecting the same trend of deliver in the first and second year of RP2. We have previously reported that the last three months of the financial year are typically not ideal for undertaking certain types of activity due to unfavourable weather conditions. Furthermore, it does not demonstrate alignment with optimum asset management intervention planning. 

Figure C.1 Quarterly volumes of pavement renewals delivered between April 2015 and March 2023

This bar chart shows the quarterly volumes of pavement renewals delivered between April 2015 and March 2023. For reporting year 2015 to 2016, from April to June 22% were delivered; from July to September 32% were delivered; from October to December 26% were delivered; and from January to March 21% were delivered. For reporting year 2016 to 2017, from April to June 14% were delivered; from July to September 13% were delivered; from October to December 18% were delivered; and from January to March 55% were delivered. For reporting year 2017 to 2018, from April to June 21% were delivered; from July to September 18% were delivered; from October to December 22% were delivered; and from January to March 39% were delivered. For reporting year 2018 to 2019, from April to June 28% were delivered; from July to September 23% were delivered; from October to December 22% were delivered; and from January to March 27% were delivered. For reporting year 2019 to 2020, from April to June 16% were delivered; from July to September 35% were delivered; from October to December 26% were delivered; and from January to March 23% were delivered. For reporting year 2020 to 2021, from April to June 20% were delivered; from July to September 24% were delivered; from October to December 20% were delivered; and from January to March 37% were delivered. For reporting year 2021 to 2022, from April to June 11% were delivered; from July to September 26% were delivered; from October to December 27% were delivered; and from January to March 36% were delivered. For reporting year 2022 to 2023, from April to June 19% were delivered; from July to September 22% were delivered; from October to December 26% were delivered; and from January to March 33% were delivered.