Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has urged central government to prioritise transport investment as a key driver of economic growth, accusing Whitehall of focusing too heavily on cost-cutting rather than long-term development. Speaking at the Interchange 2026 conference in Manchester, Burnham questioned whether national policymakers fully understand the role transport plays in supporting economic expansion. “Does Whitehall understand the critical importance of transport

Lane closures on the M1 will continue as engineers investigate what they now suspect is a damaged drainage pipe. Restrictions were first put in place five weeks ago on 27 January between junction 12 at Toddington and junction 13 for Brogborough. National Highways said it could not confirm when work would take place to fix what it had previously described as a "drainage defect" . A spokesperson said they were "working hard to resolve this issue on the M1" and it thanked motor

Graham and John Sisk & Son have secured places on National Highways’ £1 billion Legacy Concrete Roads Reconstruction framework, joining Kier in delivering a major programme to rebuild ageing sections of England’s motorway and trunk road network. The framework, which will run across Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3) and the start of RIS4, represents a significant push to modernise “legacy” concrete roads built largely during the 1960s and 1970s. National Highways has identifie

Residents and farmers in a Monmouthshire village say they feel cut off after a landslip forced the closure of the main road in and out of the community several weeks ago. The collapse occurred on 30 January beneath the lane between Cwmyoy and Llanthony, creating a steep vertical drop next to the carriageway and prompting the road to be closed on safety grounds. Since then, drivers have been diverted via the Gospel Pass – Wales’ highest mountain road – a narrow single-track ro

A main road in Nottinghamshire was temporarily closed after a truck struck a bridge, causing disruption and heavy congestion in the surrounding area. Emergency services shut the A606 Melton Road from around 4pm on Tuesday, 3 March while the incident was dealt with. The road reopened at approximately 5.30pm. The closure led to delays for motorists, particularly on the nearby A52 towards Gamston Lings Bar. Bus services were also affected. Trentbarton confirmed that its “The Key

National Highways has entered the final stages of a major £25 million upgrade to the Saltash Tunnel on the A38, a key route linking Plymouth with south-east Cornwall. The 410-metre tunnel, which opened in 1988 and carries around 38,000 vehicles a day, uses a central reversible lane to manage traffic during peak and holiday periods. The current project aims to replace ageing control technology that has been in operation since the tunnel first opened. According to National High

WJ is highlighting the importance of utilising effective asset management for road markings and studs to increase safety, enable data-led decision making and improve long-term sustainability for local authorities nationwide.   As the UK’s road network continues to expand, more than 262,000 miles of highways are now in service. Cars and buses account for 89% of all miles travelled, placing significant pressure on this infrastructure. [1] Maintaining the network is increasingly

Charge point operator Believ has partnered with Plymouth City Council to install hundreds of new electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the city, significantly expanding its on-street charging network. The project is set to deliver around 440 dual charge points by 2028, with potential to scale further in line with demand. The installations will focus on residential streets, particularly in areas where households do not have access to private driveways or off-street parkin

Aurrigo International has been granted a licence to provide Ground Handling Services at East Midlands Airport (EMA), strengthening its partnership with the cargo hub as it rolls out autonomous aviation technologies. The Coventry-based company has secured the approval to support the deployment and integration of its autonomous ground service equipment (GSE). The licence enables Aurrigo to work directly within EMA’s ground handling framework, providing on-site, one-to-one suppo

Winvic Construction has been appointed by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) to deliver the Waterbeach railway station haul road, marking the contractor’s first award under the Eastern Highways Alliance Framework 4 (EHF4). The £800m framework, managed by Central Bedfordshire Council, brings together ten local authorities across the East of England, including Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk and Thurrock. P

More than 100 tonnes of illegally dumped waste has been removed from unadopted streets in Bradford over the past year, councillors have been told. An update due to be presented to Bradford Council’s Regeneration and Environment Scrutiny Committee outlines the scale of the issue and the challenges involved in dealing with fly-tipping on land the authority is not legally obliged to maintain. Officials say waste dumped on unadopted roads and alleyways continues to place pressure

Breedon Group plc has completed the acquisition of Booth Precast Products Limited, strengthening its position in the Irish construction materials market following approval from the Competition Authority. Booth, based in County Laois, has supplied quarrying and concrete products to the Irish construction sector for more than 25 years, building a reputation for quality, sustainability and customer service. The business operates from its headquarters in Laois and serves customer

Progress is accelerating on two proposed bypasses along the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway after Transport Scotland confirmed £1.1 million for essential ground investigations at Springholm and Crocketford. The funding has been awarded to Causeway Geotech Ltd to undertake detailed site investigations that will inform the ongoing design and route assessment process. The A75 is a key strategic trunk road connecting south-west Scotland with ferry ports serving Northern Ireland, and

Transport for London (TfL) has published a new edition of its free Art Map, highlighting permanent artworks installed across the network since 2016. The updated leaflet showcases 26 permanent commissions on the Underground, including six major works added over the past decade by artists such as Alexandre da Cunha, Chantal Joffe and Lucy McKenzie. To mark the launch, TfL is hosting a series of free pop-up talks this weekend, offering passengers the chance to hear directly from

Transport for London (TfL) has revealed a 54% increase in rental e-scooter journeys over the past year, as it launches procurement for the next phase of the capital’s ongoing trial. New data covering September 2024 to September 2025 shows trips rose from 1.3 million to more than two million. Average daily usage increased from one trip per vehicle to 1.5, reaching two trips per vehicle during peak summer months. Currently, Swedish operator Voi and US-based Lime are participati

A set of vintage cassette recordings of The Hobbit has been discovered during routine maintenance work on the Tyne and Wear Metro in Newcastle. The unexpected find was made during track renewal works between Chillingham Road and Walkergate, when maintenance crews uncovered a boxed set of cassette tapes buried at the base of an overhead line mast. The tapes contain a dramatised BBC radio adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit . The series originally aired on BBC Radio 4 in