95 per cent of Britain’s population uses the road network every day – and with the new Labour government yet to establish a successor to the Conservatives’ Road Investment Strategy, which was slated to reach the end of its second phase this year, we need clarity on the future of Britain’s roads.
Our roads face significant challenges in the coming years and must accommodate ever-increasing numbers of cars in the face of floods, heat risks and more. But how can we ensure our roads are equipped to deal with these issues?
Innovative road surfacing materials
A lasting strategy in regard to tackling potholes should be front and centre of tomorrow’s roads. During the last quarter of 2024, the RAC’s pothole index reported a 17 per cent increase in pothole-related callouts. While local councils are trying hard, they’re not afforded the resources required to adequately tackle potholes.
Ultimately, decision-making must come from the top; those in power must empower local councils with adequate funding to tackle potholes. Road users’ dissatisfaction is growing – and the way to deliver a lasting solution could be through the use of innovative new materials.
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Self-healing materials like cement and asphalt could protect our roads from water ingress, providing increased protection against cracks and potholes, while early studies into the introduction of graphene into the asphalt process has shown a 165 per cent increase in durability.
Handling high heat
With extreme weather conditions becoming increasingly common, prolonged exposure to heat is another pressing issue for our roads. A report from UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) found that Britain’s road network is prone to ‘rutting and melting’ in high temperatures, which can cause a significant safety issue.
Road surfaces exposed to 25°C heat can easily exceed 50°C – which poses a particular threat for drivers in the South East.
As per the report, new road sections should be subject to modified design codes, ensuring our newly built roads can handle extended exposure to high temperatures. Our current road-building standard works to an ambient temperature of 20°C, which looks like it could be rendered obsolete soon.
Flood and rainfall protection
As well as heatwaves, climate change has necessitated that our road system is protected against increased rainfall. With longer-life assets like tunnels and bridges expected to be used for many decades, it’s vital that they can handle any weather conditions.
Looking further forward into the future gives an indication of the conditions our roads face. Projections for the 2070s predict increased winter rainfall, more intense rainfall events, rising sea levels and possible increase in wind speed – all pointing towards the need for more resilient roads.
National Highways is thankfully aware of these issues, having already improved its standards for drainage design and implementing parapets and barriers to protect taller vehicles travelling on exposed bridges.
However, it’s clear that we need these updated standards to be actioned in all areas of the country – not just our highways, with roads in residential areas also in danger of being damaged by floods.
Updating road-building standards
It’s not just about establishing these innovative technologies, however. We must make sure that our working practices themselves are as efficient as possible, reducing the time spent on repairs and the environmental impact they have. Continually updating our standards will therefore be key in ensuring our roads can handle freak climate events.
Part of the process should be improving infrastructure around our roads also – natural disasters are more likely than ever, so we should be considering wider infrastructural additions, such as landslide mitigation techniques and more.
Richard Moss, head of Civils at Instarmac
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