Research and analysis

Economic appraisal for investing in local highways maintenance

Findings from an evidence review that aims to provide DfT with a better understanding of the economic benefits of investing in local highways maintenance.

From:
Department for Transport
Published
26 September 2024

Documents

Economic appraisal for investing in local highways maintenance

PDF, 2.59 MB, 73 pages

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Details

This document presents the findings of an evidence review which aimed to demonstrate the benefit cost ratio (BCR) and value for money (VfM) of investing in local highway maintenance. It also examined how existing evidence can be improved to inform future spending decisions on local highways maintenance.

The report’s recommendations include: 

  • introducing an incentivisation scheme for the use of capital funding and engaging with stakeholders to test the appetite for influencing revenue funding 
  • introducing a digital data collection portal to allow up-to-date and consistent data to be collected on the condition of the local highway network alongside budget and spend data 
  • reviewing options to expand the guidance for monetising the wider benefits identified in this report and engaging with industry to gather information on existing business cases 
  • defining the desired scope for appraising local highways maintenance (for example, at network whole, network asset or scheme level) 
  • developing tools, such as learning and engagement resources, to maximise the impact of any appraisals beyond highway maintenance specialists

Updates to this page

Published 26 September 2024

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