Road plan aims to combat climate changes

10 June 2009

A local authority alliance has carried out a study to help it manage the potential effect of climate change on roads.

The 3 Counties Alliance Partnership (3CAP) – comprising Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire county councils and consultants Scott Wilson – identified changes that highways departments could make to the way they design, maintain and build roads in order to prepare them for changing weather conditions.

Andy Warrington, highway manager at Leicestershire council, said: ‘We produced this project to look at the adaptation required to maintain the highways network.’

The key risks included damaged pavements caused by prolonged high temperatures and increased rainfall, longer growing seasons meaning grass verges need cutting more often, and more landslips due to increased rainfall.

Warrington explained that the next step is for each county to put the study’s conclusions into practice, something Leicestershire is already doing. The council has put additional investment into road surfaces vulnerable to heat damage, and highway drainage systems. It also reviewed its highway verge maintenance last year.

Addressing delegates at Surveyor’s highway maintenance conference in Nottingham this week, Warrington said the project methodology was recognised as best practice and could be applied in other locations and to other service areas.

‘It includes a risk and probability analysis comparing climate change types – hot dry summers, warm wet winters and more severe weather events – with the whole range of highway services in order to calculate those most at risk,’ he said.

An additional factor was then applied to give priority to those service areas which a local authority can most influence, keeping it ‘real, local and achievable.’

Highway managers from across the three counties were involved at several stages of the project. They were briefed on the climate change effects, risk and probability, and established proposed adaptation responses, which assisted the action plan of most effective responses to be prepared.

Steve Smith, the alliance’s manager, said: ‘We live in a changing climate and this study has been invaluable in helping us to look ahead and investigate what we need to do to make sure we all have road networks fit for purpose now and in the future.’

Register now for full access

Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.

Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors. Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.

Already a registered? Login