The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has concluded an investigation into National Highways’ performance with respect to its Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) commitments.
- National Highways has failed to meet 11 of the 48 enhancement targets due to management and funding challenges.
- Problems highlight issues with National Highways’ supply chain, asset data, and the impact of high inflation and planning delays.
- A new management plan has been established by National Highways to address issues with communication and target management.
- The ORR continues to monitor National Highways, urging the fulfilment of its responsibilities before the RIS2 period ends.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) recently published the results of its investigation into National Highways’ delivery of the Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) targets set for 2020 to 2025. The investigation, initiated in February, discovered that National Highways had failed to fulfil 11 out of its 48 enhancement commitments. The reasons attributed to these missed targets were diverse, ranging from ineffective supply chain management to inadequate asset data. Moreover, National Highways had to navigate considerable uncertainty related to its portfolio, exacerbated by high inflation, government decision-making delays, and legal hurdles concerning planning approvals.
In response to these challenges, National Highways created a management plan for the first time during the 2023-24 period to streamline communication of targets and necessary actions internally. However, this plan was still under finalisation when the ORR conducted its review and thus not operational for the upcoming reporting year. Despite the setbacks, National Highways has expressed its commitment to meet its targets, acknowledging the significance of finalising decisions postponed due to the General Election.
Furthermore, the ORR’s investigation highlighted National Highways’ non-compliance with providing necessary data and information, essential for the ORR to perform its regulatory duties effectively. The correspondence between the two bodies surfaced issues regarding the delayed sharing of critical data, which National Highways has committed to improving. These revelations underscore an ongoing dialogue between ORR and National Highways, focusing on enhancing transparency and accountability.
Notably, amidst these findings, National Highways had shown commendable performance in certain areas, achieving its goals on pavement conditions, incident resolution, and minimising roadwork impacts on users. Nevertheless, with just a year remaining, the company faces risks of not meeting indicators related to average delays, roadworks information accuracy, and severe road incident statistics. ORR emphasised the necessity for National Highways to exert all possible efforts to mitigate these factors and demonstrate proactive influence, even in areas beyond its direct control.
The ORR maintains a vigilant stance, ensuring National Highways adheres to its responsibilities as the final year of RIS2 approaches. ORR’s performance and planning director, Feras Alshaker, affirmed that while National Highways has performed well since its inception in 2015, it confronts significant challenges that must be addressed. As the road period concludes, the ORR will continue its scrutiny to ensure National Highways satisfactorily meets the obligations laid out in the road investment strategy.
With ORR’s continued oversight, National Highways must urgently address its ongoing challenges to fulfil RIS2 commitments effectively.
