Investigating The Problems And Solutions For National Highways In The UK

Aim of the Research

The infrastructure of the National Highways is one of the most valuable assets that the government in the UK owns. The department of the national highways in the UK which is government-owned department is concerned with maintaining, operating, and improving the major roads and motorways in the country. It is also concerned with setting the standards of the highways (Kolluru, Patra and Sahu 2018). The highway networks in the country account for almost 97% of the English roads and carries about two-thirds of the motorized vehicle volume along with cycle traffic and pedestrians and therefore acts the prime keystone for offering mobility and regional linkages within the entire of UK.  Most of the national highways in the UK are of old constructions and have to bear the extreme weather conditions of heavy rain and snow and even flooding in certain parts of the year. Owing to the heavy load of the traffic that the national highways in the UK require to bear, a lot of maintenance in the sector is in the need (Choudhury, Yabar and Mizunoya 2022). The highways help in forming vital networks for the country ensuring quick connectivity across several regions around UK and therefore the government must attach huge importance to preserving its valuable assets.

The proposal aims at investigating and highlighting the problems in the UK national highways and proposes actions as to how such issues can be catered to so that the experience of the users gets enhanced in the process (Cripps et al 2019). The highway networks in the UK require going through proper innovation and collaboration so that the transportation systems can be improved and users can travel on the roads comfortably. The maintenance of the national highways in the UK is no small task at all and therefore proper planning in this regard is of utmost importance so that long-term solutions in the area can be achieved. Reports have revealed the fact that the enhanced loads of traffic over the national highways in the UK are affecting the structural integrity of the entire system (Nwafor and Onya 2019). Several other issues are cropping up in the national highways in the UK which require prior attention and research so that the country can head towards sustainable infrastructure. This proposal is going to address to some of the key problems in the highways in the UK which include damage of the structural foundation, increase in maintenance costs, increased accidents, daily operations getting disrupted, loss of public trust over the infrastructural facilities and much more (Attahiru et al 2019). Addressing to these issues will offer great benefits to the entire society and the industry as every user will be able to move about freely and without any restrictions around the roads of the country.

The aim of this research is to investigate and analyze through the problems in the national highways in the UK and propose solutions as to how the issues can be resolved by taking the correct actions.

The objectives of the research are here below:

1. To study the current status of the national highways in the UK
2. To review the issues that prevail in the national highways in the UK
3. To determine the maintenance activities required to upkeep the conditions of the national highways in the UK.
4. To determine the effective strategies that can help in resolving the problems in the national highways in the UK.

Objectives of the Research

The scope of this research study revolves around the issues that are resulting in the deterioration of the national highways in the UK and how the issues can be best addressed to by the government and other authorities in the country (Singh and Kalota 2019). As the national highways are the biggest assets in the infrastructural sector of the country, proper maintenance of the system is of utmost importance so that the connectivity networks around the country does not get hampered in any manner. The research paper will highlight such vital points in the study so that the concerned authorities can work accordingly and make aggressive actions plans so that the national highways can get properly maintained and remain sustainable for a long period of time (Kiplagat 2020). The study would also involve certain innovative measures and suggestions that the country must be incorporating in order to address to the issues in their national highways.

• Determine the problems involved in the national highways in the UK
• Determining how these problems can be addressed to promptly
• Determining the importance of upkeeping the national highways in the UK
• Determining the importance of asset management plan with regard to national highways in the UK by the government of the country.

According to (Gardner et al 2018), in the developed countries like UK, there are several inadequacies that get found in the construction techniques and current designs of the national highways and the infrastructure of the country which finally lead to the increase of the costs of replacement, repairs and maintenance of the national highway networks.

The research conducted in this regard offers the knowledge that the authorities and the people engaged in the construction of the national highways fail to lay down the foundation of the roads and infrastructural facilities in the correct manner which lead to increase in the budgets of the overhead costs of maintaining the highways (Kotera et al 2021). This has been marked as a major issue in the national highways in the UK highlighting the fact that the concrete structures of the national highways need to be developed in the correct manner using durable and efficient materials. In this study, the scholars have also asserted to the fact that the materials chosen for laying the foundation of the national highways in the UK must pass through the climate change circumstances so that the roads can bear the harsh weather conditions of the country and continue serving the purposes of the people in the correct manner. There must be pro-active management of the materials used in the construction of the highways so that the materials that are chosen have adaptability and self-healing properties (Tezel, Koskela and Aziz 2018). The study has also researched through the consequential effects that the damages in the concrete of the national highways in the UK might result in.

The shortcoming that has been noted in the research is that the environmental sustainability factor on the use of better materials for laying the accurate foundation of the national highways has not been analyzed properly. Another shortcoming involved in the study is that the participation of experts in the field of civil engineering are not seen which was very important to arrive at the best solutions to the problem as they are the people who can core knowledge in the field.

Scope of the Study

According to (Loudon and Horsfield 2021), the study has laid down the fact that there had been several changes relating the structural documents with regard to the construction of the national highways in the UK but such changes are hardly getting incorporated in the actual practice and construction process.

The study offers the knowledge that the authorities responsible for incorporating the structural changes in the construction of the national highways in the UK hardly follow the instructions in the documents that have been mentioned with regard to the change in the materials and techniques of construction (Acerete, Gasca and Stafford 2019). This a prime issue which is leading to deterioration of the national highway networks in the country resulting in the roads getting damaged quite easily and quickly after the construction. The study further highlights the fact that government of the UK has failed to generate proper monitoring over the construction of national highways even after coming up with the best plans of building up the infrastructure of the country. This has in turn resulted in high maintenance costs of the roads and networks putting pressure on the budgets of the government (Phuyal 2020). The paper highlights the fact that the modernization of the national highways in the UK have been brought about in the paper but not in practice which is a huge problem in the civil sector of the country.

The shortcoming that has been noted in the study is that no possible measures have been suggested on the part of the researchers as to how this issue can be resolved in the UK so that the authorities turn responsible to apply the standards being prescribed in practice and make the national highways even more sustainable for use by the people.

In the words of (Choudhary et al 2018), laying down the standards and rules for speed variations and the distribution of the weights of the heavy goods vehicles running on the national highways in the UK are of utmost importance to ensure the longevity of the roads.

The study lays down the facts that one of the major issues noted in the national highways in the UK is that there are no prescribed norms which will help in ensuring road safety, speed variations and distribution of the heavy goods vehicles across the different highways in the country (Shaw et al 2019). This is resulting in the national highways of UK to get depleted quite soon after their constructions and the inability of the authorities to handle such excessive repair works owing to the increased pressure of the vehicles on the roads. Scholars in the study have offered the knowledge that it is very crucial to divide the national highways in the country to control the speed variations of different kinds of vehicles that ply on the roads. This will not just ensure the safety of the travelers on the roads but will also make sure that crashes on the highways can be avoided owing to the increased pressure of the vehicles (Mohd and Pal 2020). Moreover, the distribution of the networks of the heavy goods vehicles plying on the national highways in the UK will ensure the long-term sustainability of the roads and will also help in reducing accidents to a great extent.

Novel Points of the Research

One of the shortcomings that have been noted in the research study is that the researches have not highlighted the fact sometimes, even in the presence of the regulations relating to speed variations and routes of the heavy goods vehicles; they are often seen to break the policies and travel using wrong paths causing damage to the system. The speed variations often result in undue traffic on the roads which also is another factor that requires attention from the authorities while making the laws.

In the opinion of (Yao, Deng and Wu 2018), severe accident factors have been noted on the national highways in the UK owing to the structural damages on the roads and sometimes even due to the behavior of the users on the national highways.

The study in the field has highlighted the fact that the national highways in the UK have experienced increased accidents on the roads majorly owing to the fact that the roads have structural damages and potholes which often get overlooked by the drivers and they end up in getting into huge risks on the roads (Dafoe et al 2020). This gain highlights the fact that there are foundation issues in the construction of the national highways in the UK which cause such damages to crop up on the roads and create hassle for the drivers. Some of the scholars in the study have highlighted the instability of the ground of the national highways which result in increased accidents on the roads and even lead to serious injuries of the people. Some of the reports in the study have also found the fact there are presence of sink holes on the national highways in the UK which do not undergo quick repair and inspections leading to serious losses on the part of users (Kabiret al 2021).

The shortcomings to be noted in the study is that the researcher has not recommended any solution for the problem factor being highlighted and has also not specified the desirable geometric characteristics of the national highways so that such risks of accidents can be avoided and the roads can be restored in the correct manner. The study also fails in stating the role of the policymakers in this regard so that safety on the national highways in the country can be maintained optimally.

According to the experts (Calvo-Poyo, Navarro-Moreno and de Oña 2020), owing to the current economic issues noted in the UK, the authorities have reduced the funding on the maintenance and upkeep of the national highways in the country which has resulted in the massive deterioration of the roads that are of great value for transportation facilities of the people in the country.

The knowledge imparted by this study states the facts that the reduction in the funding of the national highways in the UK for its maintenance and constructions have been seen as a vital challenge and issue faced in the industry (Bisht et al 2022). This is impacting the entire functioning of the civil affairs of the country to a huge extent. The experts involved in the work are failing to offer the best services to the users as the funds available for the repair and maintenance jobs of the national highways are not adequate to serve the purpose. Some of the experts have asserted to the fact in the study that the funds allocated for the fresh construction of the highways must be increased as compared to the funds required for their maintenance so that the rate of accidents on the roads can be controlled in an effective manner (Singh et al 2021). National highways being one of the biggest assets in the UK ensuring its daily operations and connectivity must get enhanced attention and funding from the authorities.

Literature Review

However, the study suffers from various shortcomings. The first one is that the deterioration of the economic situation in the UK has not been analyzed in this regard which is mainly owing to the pandemic situation prevailing all over the world. Suggestions have not been offered by the scholars as to how the economic issues must be addressed to so that the funds allocated to the national highways can be managed effectively.

According to (Yang et al 2018), the practices of asset management in relation to the national highways in the UK are quite weak as compared to the other nations in the world. This has given rise to several other connected issues in the sector which must be addressed to adequately.

The study offers the knowledge that effective asset management practices are very much important for the upkeep of the national highways in the UK and to enhance the reliability of the roads for the users (Rubinato et al 2019). The study helps in highlighting the fact that the authorities concerned with keeping the national highways in the safe conditions have failed to implement the correct asset management policies in this regard which have finally prevented them in planning the maintenance of the roads in the correct manner. The asset management practices with regard to the national highways in the UK would help the authorities concerned in addressing and planning for the risks in the sector effectively. The policies being implemented would also assist in planning for long-term construction of the national highways so that issues in them crop up very less.

The shortcoming in the study is that the proposed framework for the asset management policies has not been highlighted in the study so that the correct roadmap can be laid for the same (Khan et al 2019). Moreover, proper monitoring in this regard is highly important as there are more than 45 high authorities in the world that do not have a asset management plan with regard to national highways.

According to (Obwegeser and Müller 2018), lack of innovations in the national highways in the UK is another vital problem that has been noted by the experts in the field.

The scholars in the study have advocated the fact that innovation in the field of construction and maintenance of national highways in the UK is of great importance so that the infrastructural facilities in the country can offer the best services to the users. The emerging traffic on the roads has necessitated the innovative measures to be taken for the construction of the national highways in the UK (Gabr 2019). However, the authorities in the country do not seem much conversant with the structural changes in the national highways which are creating issues of accidents and crashes on the roads. Scholars have also asserted to the fact that innovative measures in respect of research for the development of the national highways is also very crucial so that the correct measures can be adopted by the government in the UK.

The shortcoming of the study is that the innovative concepts with regard to the construction of the national highways in the UK have not been discussed appropriately in the study. The future development strategies in the field of highway constructions have also been not highlighted in the study. Additionally, research and development in the sector of national highways in the UK would require public procurement on a large scale which requires to be planned beforehand so that the strategy can turn successful. These concepts required detailed discussions in the study which have not been conducted.

In the opinion of (Durdyev and Ismail 2019), there exists several loopholes in the training processes offered by the authorities to the experts engaged in the construction of the national highways in the UK.

The research in the above study offers the knowledge that there can be improvements made in the construction of the national highways only when the experts in the field are offered specialized training in this regard. The study has also emphasized on the fact that there must be training related to site operations for the maintenance and construction of the national highways so that the productivity of the employees in the sector can get improved. This will help in building more sustainable highways in the UK in the upcoming years. The study also offers the knowledge that improvements are required to be made in the field of logistics in order to bring about sustainable growth of the national highways infrastructural facilities in the UK (Munvar, Mengistu and Mahesh 2020). The study also highlights the fact that the structural damages that often get seen in the construction of the highways in the UK are owing to the fact that the experts lack of specialized training in the area which can help them in excelling in the field.

The study on the other hand, is not barred from shortcomings. One of the main shortcomings that have been noted in the study is the shortage of labor supply in the UK which is affecting the civil sector of the country to a great extent. Another shortcoming that requires mentioning is the lack of project planning with regard to construction and maintenance of the national highways in the UK which has not been talked about in the study.

According to (Bennetts et al 2020), another vital issue noted in the national highways in the UK is the dearth of survey done in the field by the experts.

The study offers the knowledge to the people that the UK national highways go through very minimal survey at huge intervals which are resulting in several issues that have been noted in the sector. This is also owing to the fact that there is lack of asset management in the field which is in turn leading to lack of surveys done in the national highways of the country in order to detect the errors that the construction works are going through. The lack of survey done in the field is also reducing the lifespan of the highways in the country which is a very alarming sign for the authorities.

The shortcoming of the study is that the scholars have not mentioned about the fact that along with surveys, there must also be investigations of the materials that are being used in the construction of the highways which are leading to several damages caused in the infrastructural facilities.

In the words of (Choong Kog 2018), major delays in the construction and maintenance of national highways in the UK are also a crucial problem reported in the field.

The study has highlighted the fact there are major delays noted in the completion of the construction works of the national highways in the UK which is a vital factor leading to the deterioration of the quality of the highways in the country (Bawah 2019). This also indicates that there is lack of motivation among the workers in the field for which their productivity tends to suffer. Scholars have also stated that there are often seen frequent changes in the alignments and designs of highways at the time of the implementation stage. This leads to project discrepancies and delays in the completion of the entire work.

The shortcoming in the study is that the researches have not recommended the steps to be taken to sort out the above issue.

After analyzing the various resources available on the topic under study, the research gap that can be identified is that the scholars have stated certain common problems related to the national highways in the UK but on the other hand have failed to offer the remedial measures that can be must be correctly taken in order to address to the issues. The technical parts of the construction of the national highways in the UK and the project planning mechanism to be adopted in this regard have also not been highlighted in the studies above. The route strategies must be defined properly so that in the future days, the national highways in the country can be developed accordingly to the modernized plans.

This research has been conducted using the secondary data available on the national highways in the UK from authentic sources like Google scholar. Various case studies in this regard have been researched in order to understand the current state of problems in the national highways in the UK and some of the most crucial issues have been highlighted in the study. The data being collected has been orderly placed stating the vital problems relating to national highways in the UK and further the topics have been analyzed by discussing the knowledge gained from each theme and the shortcomings that they suffer from. The descriptive kind of research design has been followed in this study so that detailed knowledge and understanding on the topic concerned can be gained.

 

The above work plan details out the tasks to be carried out in the study along with the milestones and deliverables so that the entire work can be completed within the time given for the research.

The task will deliver an understanding of the issues concerning the national highways in the UK and the solutions that can be taken to rectify the problems. In conducting the study, secondary sources of evidences will be getting used which clearly show the problems that exist currently in the national highways in the UK. The complete literature review will be offered regarding the topic under study using a specific layout. Thereafter, the study will also delivered analysis of the data collected from different sources so that a clear understanding of the topic can be gained.

The first risk of carrying out this project is that there might be dearth of plenty of accurate information and data related to the topic which can mislead the researcher. There might also be controversial opinions involved in the study relating to the topic which can lead to different conclusions making the subject quite complicated to comprehend. Moreover, quality of the research might get affected if data does not get collected in a timely manner.

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