Greater Manchester pushes stalled road maintenance collaboration

ROAD MAINTENANCE

Transport for Greater Manchester is pushing stalled plans for collaboration between highways services across the conurbation.

The DfT-supported Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme last year sought to establish a co-ordinated programme of work for Greater Manchester’s highways authorities following a review of the supply chain (LTT 30 Mar 12).

A review of how much the conurbation’s individual authorities are spending on resurfacing materials was subsequently commissioned by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). It raised the prospect of going further than co-ordinating work and having a single procurement, as was agreed for London (LTT 27 Apr 12).

LTT understands that this review, carried out by law firm Trowers and Hamlins, found wide variation in the cost of the same materials being obtained by individual local highway authorities. Despite this, lack of authority agreement and problems in aligning the dates of re-letting contracts has stymied efforts to establish either joint programmes of work or a joint procurement.

An undaunted TfGM told LTT this week that it would continue to seek agreement given that last year’s work had identified “huge potential efficiencies which gives us a clear basis on which to move forward”.

David Hytch, TfGM information systems director, who is responsible for the project, told LTT that TfGM is developing a number of options for taking collaboration forward, which it will take to the chief executives and heads of highways of the ten metropolitan district authorities. This will cover a range of highways services.

“We are looking at what the best solutions are for the management of our highways assets in the short, medium and long-term. And how do we achieve that? What’s the art of the possible?” Hytch said that the London Highway Alliance procurement was “an example of how we can move things forward”.

The traffic management implications of ten separate works programmes are also a factor. One central unit in TfGM can now reject works that it considers are too disruptive under a permit scheme (LTT 3 May).

Hytch said the options will be informed by the on-going negotiations over the proposed ‘City Deal,’ which raised the prospect of devolution of Highways Agency funds to the conurbation.

Delegates at LTT’s Future Highways North will identify the barriers to highways collaboration and how these can be overcome.

For more details and to book: www.highwaysdelivery.co.uk