08.11.12
TfL highways contracts to save £450m
Consolidated London Highways Alliance contracts are to deliver road maintenance and major infrastructure improvements while saving up to £450m in the next eight years, TfL has announced.
Four new area-based joint highways contracts will assist in the creation of more than £2bn of investment in road infrastructure. The contracts have been developed in a joint initiative by TfL and the London Boroughs.
The new contracts will encompass both road maintenance and the design and construction of new schemes. Equally the frameworks will, for the first time, be applicable to all roads across London.
The frameworks, worth up to £1.2bn, will be used for all TfL Road Network (TLRN) highway contracts commencing in April 2013 onwards, and have been included in the Local Implementation Plan guidance requiring boroughs to use the new more efficient arrangements.
Up to 12 London boroughs are likely to use these contracts for a variety of maintenance services at this time. The renewal of individual contracts for boroughs and the increasing TfL funding of major borough road schemes will augment the number of contracts delivered through the frameworks, thus increasing the value of the contracts to £2.6bn.
The use of the contracts will allow TfL and the boroughs to save up to £450m; avoiding tendering costs and improving working practices and use of resources, and these savings can be reinvested into other services and developments.
The contracts form part of the Transforming London’s Highways Management initiative, and are comprised of 23 services such as lighting, winter maintenance and safety inspections.
Dana Skelley, director of roads at TfL, asserted: “Investing in a transport network that is safe, reliable and customer focussed for all road users is a core part of the work that TfL does day-in, day-out. These new contracts will allow us to further deliver this work in an efficient manner through joined up working with other London highway authorities, ensuring greater value for money and delivering a better road network for all.”
Chair of London Councils’ transport and environment committee, Cllr Catherine West, also confirmed: “The London Highways Alliance Contract will mean better roads for Londoners at a lower cost.”
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