Highways Agency
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The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom. The agency has responsibility for maintaining and improving the 7754 km of motorways and trunk roads (main long-distance roads) in England. The agency was created by John Major's government in 1994.
Non-trunk 'A' roads, 'B' roads and minor roads are maintained by local authorities and not the Highways Agency. Roads in Scotland and Wales are the responsibility of the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly respectively. Northern Ireland's roads are the responsibility of an executive agency within the Department for Regional Development called the Roads Service.
The Highways Agency network is split into 14 operational areas [link], which are managed and maintained by agents, often a joint venture between a civil engineering consultancy and contractor. In addition, there are some sections of road that are managed by DBFO contracts separate from the area teams, such as the A30 east of Exeter and the M40.
In Spring 2004, Highways Agency Traffic Officers began working alongside police on motorways in the West Midlands. This was the start of an England-wide roll out, with traffic officers planned to be introduced across the whole country by the end of 2006.
Traffic Officers' duties include the following:
- attending motor vehicle accidents
- removing damaged and abandoned vehicles
- clearing debris on carriageways
- undertaking high visibility patrols
- providing mobile/temporary road closures
- supporting police in their duties
External links
- http://www.highways.gov.uk/
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