Renowned experts at the company responsible for the country’s
motorways and major A roads are updating the “Design Manual for
Roads and Bridges” (DMRB) to make it easier for designers to
understand and use.
The DMRB is a cornerstone of the delivery and management of
motorway and all-purpose trunk roads across the UK and is a
respected document used across the globe.
The modified standards are being published in phases, with the
first set being released in 2018 and the full update complete by
the end of March 2020.
The re-drafting will be completed using a revolutionary online
authoring tool, signalling an important move to digital
technology and therefore give the potential for future updates to
be more straightforward.
Highways England Chief Highway Engineer, Mike Wilson said:
Highways England is the recognised authority for road design,
building and maintenance, and our standards are used across the
globe.
This is an exciting time for the highways sector and as we
deliver both the government’s £15 billion road investment
programme and look ahead to 2020 and beyond, we are delighted
to be able to start releasing the first updates to this
crucially important document.
We are grateful to our partners in the industry who have
supported this significant review which will ensure our roads
are designed, built and maintained to the very highest, safest
standards.
In April 2015 Highways England began working on a project to
review and update the complete suite of over 350 documents and
associated Interim Advice Notes (IANs) that make up the manual.
This is a specific requirement of the Protocol attached to the
Highways England Licence as part of the Government’s Road
Investment Strategy.
These changes include making it easier to produce and maintain
the manual. Requirements and advice will be easier to
distinguish, which will result in fewer departures from the
standards required for new schemes and the time/cost associated
with these.
Over the years, the existing manual has become difficult to use
due to the many revisions and variations in language and style.
Following a consultation with key stakeholders and users of the
manual, a number of changes have been implemented including a new
set of drafting rules that follow best practice from national and
international standardisation organisations.
The governance processes are also being updated to streamline the
development process of the standards and make it more efficient.
To support this extremely ambitious and demanding programme,
Highways England is supported by several leading UK consultants,
providing world class expertise, to ensure that the manual is fit
for the future. Collaboration among suppliers and leaner ways of
working are key to successfully delivering the updates.
