The destination
In line with the Government's "Action for Roads"
Command Paper issued last July, and its subsequent consultation
process (which concluded in April), the draft Infrastructure Bill
proposes to transform the Highways Agency by April 2015 from an
entity run directly by the Department for Transport into a
government owned – but "independent" –
company. As a consequence, it will have much greater freedom to
make decisions affecting the strategic road network, without the
need for ministerial scrutiny in every case.
The Bill provides for a "Road Investment Strategy" to
be produced to determine the levels of performance and investment
that are to be delivered (probably over a five year period, similar
to the model already in use on the railways), and a committed
revenue stream will provide enhanced certainty for contractors
(replacing the previous "brake/accelerate" approach to
funding). The government has estimated that these changes to the
Agency could
