New Climate Adaptation Guide Published to Help Local Authorities Future-Proof Road Networks

Local highway authorities across England have been given new guidance designed to help them prepare road networks for the growing impacts of climate change and increasingly extreme weather conditions.

The Local Highways Climate Adaptation Guide, published by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (Adept), provides a practical framework for councils and transport authorities seeking to improve the resilience of their highway infrastructure.

As climate-related challenges such as heatwaves, flooding, storms and prolonged periods of extreme weather become more frequent, the guide aims to support authorities in identifying risks, prioritising investment and integrating climate adaptation into long-term highway management strategies.

The publication offers detailed advice on reviewing and updating resilient route networks, undertaking local climate risk assessments and incorporating adaptation measures into highway asset management plans.

Importantly, the guidance addresses both sudden weather-related events and longer-term environmental changes. While storms, flooding and severe rainfall can cause immediate disruption and damage, gradual shifts in climate patterns can also accelerate the deterioration of infrastructure over time, placing additional pressures on already stretched maintenance budgets.

The guide examines the potential impacts of climate change across a wide range of highway assets, including road surfaces, bridges, drainage systems, embankments, cuttings and roadside landscapes. It also provides a hierarchy of adaptation measures intended to help authorities make informed decisions about where resources can deliver the greatest resilience benefits.

Adept, which represents local authority place directors and transport leaders across county, metropolitan, unitary and combined authorities, estimates that its members collectively manage more than 260,000 kilometres of local roads.

The organisation says climate adaptation is becoming an increasingly important consideration for highway authorities as infrastructure networks face conditions they were not originally designed to withstand.

Adept President Katie Stewart highlighted the challenges presented by recent weather extremes, pointing to record temperatures experienced during last month's heatwave as evidence of the growing pressure being placed on transport infrastructure.

She said road networks across the country are being exposed to conditions that were not anticipated when many assets were designed and constructed, making forward planning essential to maintaining reliable and safe transport links.

The guidance has been developed in collaboration with infrastructure consultancy Arcadis, whose highways asset management specialists contributed technical expertise to the project.

Andrew Warrington, Head of Highways Asset Management at Arcadis, described the document as a practical resource intended to help local authority officers assess vulnerabilities, prioritise interventions and embed climate resilience into both day-to-day maintenance activities and longer-term investment planning.

He said the aim is to support evidence-based decision making that delivers value for money while improving the resilience of critical infrastructure relied upon by communities and businesses.

The publication comes amid growing national attention on climate adaptation across the transport sector. Recent government strategies have highlighted the need for infrastructure operators to prepare for more frequent flooding, extreme temperatures, coastal erosion and severe weather events that could impact network performance and public safety.

For highway authorities facing increasing maintenance pressures and constrained budgets, the new guidance is expected to provide a valuable tool for balancing immediate operational demands with longer-term resilience planning.

As climate risks continue to evolve, the guide seeks to ensure that local road networks are better prepared to withstand future challenges while maintaining reliable transport connections for the communities they serve.