Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) review the process by which utilities open road surfaces so as to better manage traffic during on-going roadworks, and (2) put in place procedures to govern the lasting re-instatement of such roads once works have been completed.

The Department issues statutory guidance covering the process by which utility companies open road surfaces. The ‘Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways’ was reviewed and updated during 2019. The Department for Transport plans to publish the updated version 4 of the technical specification later this year. It will improve the quality and performance of utility reinstatements once it comes into force.

The Department has spent over £10 million developing a new digital service for planning and managing street works. It will be used by all local authorities and utility companies from 1 July 2020. The service, known as Street Manager, will also record all reinstatements, inspections and any defects that are noted from such inspections. This will enable all those involved to monitor the quality and performance of reinstatements and use the data to ensure this is improved.