Highways Agency overhaul for £15bn road plan given green light …

The Times 10 December 2014, Robert Lea

Jobs for hundreds of economists, planners and regulatory wonks are to be advertised as the government’s plan to turn the Highways Agency into a Network Rail of the roads comes closer to reality.

The Infrastructure Bill has passed its latest parliamentary hurdle and now the government will publish a strategic business plan for Highways England, into which the Highways Agency is to morph.

It is understood that splitting from the Department for Transport will mean the hiring of 500 new staff on top of the existing 3,500 to deliver a £15 billion, seven-year roadbuilding plan. With Highways England cast adrift from Whitehall, the assumptions of the newly hired economists and planners is to be independently overseen and regulated for the first time.

This role has been given to the Office of the Rail Regulation, which monitors Network Rail, and is expected to need beefing up substantially from the 350 staff it already employs.

Passenger Focus, the often-outspoken watcher of the train and track companies, will change its name to Transport Focus as it gets charged with keeping an eye on the roads, as well.

Highways England is expected to come into being in April on the expected passing of the Infrastructure Bill by the end of the parliament.

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