The National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC), a UK-based collaboration of professional engineering organisations led by the Royal Academy of Engineering, has developed and issued a new report, entitled Reviving our ageing infrastructure.
The document puts the spotlight on chronic underinvestment in the UK’s economic infrastructure, which it describes as being “at a tipping point”. It adds that this comes on a backdrop of heightening demand on transportation, water and wastewater networks, and flood defence systems.
In the absence of action, the NEPC warned, there could be risks to public safety, as well as disruption to services, and long-term economic costs. In light of this, the NEPC’s working group called for the maintenance and renewal of existing infrastructure to become a strategic national priority, on a par with new construction projects.
Infrastructure in the UK is in increasingly precarious condition
The publication was developed by the NEPC alongside various other institutions, including – but not limited to – the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Highway Engineers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and the Institution of Structural Engineers.
Statistics were set out in the report that will be of particular interest to many transport consultants and their clients. The document disclosed, for example, that 17% of the local road network in England and Wales is in poor condition, and that congestion and deteriorating road surfaces are estimated to cost the UK economy about £30 billion per year.
Attention was also drawn in the report to the finding that a quarter of all rail delays are attributable to faults with infrastructure assets. Indeed, the publication added that a 50% increase in impacts on assets from weather events had been recorded over the past five years.
What has the NEPC said should be done about the infrastructure situation?
In the context of all the above, it probably shouldn’t be a great surprise that the NEPC declared the current moment a “critical” one for the country’s infrastructure.
The report observed: “Many of our essential assets, from roads and bridges to water pipes and flood defences, were built decades ago. Following many years of underinvestment in maintenance, they need immediate attention to extend their lives and ensure that they can continue to support the services on which our society and economy depend.”
The NEPC has reasoned that when proper maintenance of infrastructure is prioritised, this can bring clear societal and economic benefits such as improved safety, minimised risks of disruption, and avoidance of the far greater costs associated with emergency repairs or failures.
Through the quantification of these benefits, the NEPC has sought to strengthen the case for sustained investment and long-term planning.
It has called on central, devolved, and local government alike to embrace a cross-sector approach encompassing transport, water, wastewater, and flood risk-defence as a means of embedding infrastructure maintenance in policy frameworks over the years ahead.
The report highlights that sustaining national infrastructure is not a mere optional extra. Such a course of action is, instead, essential in order to safeguard public services, protect communities, and support a thriving and resilient economy.
Our transport consultants can provide vital support and guidance for your projects
The complete Reviving our ageing infrastructure document is available to read on the website of the National Engineering Policy Centre.
To learn more about the transport planning and infrastructure advice that our professionals can provide to help make your initiatives successful, please don’t hesitate to enquire to your nearest Transport Planning Associates (TPA) office.
