Strategic road investment Inquiry

The Transport Select Committee have launched a Strategic Road Investment Inquiry, and are accepting evidence until Monday 6th February 2023.

Road Investment Strategy periods cover 5 year periods, and the current RIS (as they are known for short) is RIS2 which runs from 2020-25.  The next one RIS3 will run from 2025-30. This inquiry covers both RIS2 and RIS3.

The Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) is currently in RIS2, because whilst RIS3 will follow on, it is still being planned.  If the proposed LTC is granted permission it wouldn’t be completed and open until at least 2030, so would move across from RIS2 into RIS3.

The inquiry has been launched following the National Audit Office’s report which highlighted concerns about value for money issues in regard to projects including the proposed LTC.

This new inquiry is therefore very relevant and super important in regards to the LTC.

 

What the Transport Select Committee are looking for evidence on

The Transport Committee would like to receive written evidence that addresses the following points:

• How effectively the RIS2 enhancements portfolio has been managed to date

• Whether risks to the enhancements portfolio for the remainder of the RIS2 period are being well managed

• What the impacts of delays and cost overruns are on the overall programme, and whether the revised programme can be delivered to schedule and on budget

• What progress is being made on planning for the next Road Investment Strategy

• What lessons from RIS2 need to be incorporated into RIS3 to ensure it is achievable and delivers on policy objectives

• Whether the Government’s current and forthcoming roads investment programme is meeting the current and future needs of consumers and business

• Whether the Government’s roads investment programme aligns with other policy priorities, such as decarbonisation, levelling up, productivity and growth

• How RIS3 should take account of technological developments, and evidence on ways of increasing capacity on the Strategic Road Network (such as smart motorways and potential alternatives to them)

 

How to submit evidence

Anyone can submit evidence to the inquiry.  Please take a look at the Call for Evidence for more info.

Basically you put your evidence in a Word document and upload and submit it through the website. The document can’t contain logos.  If the evidence is more than 3000 words you should also include a brief summary of your evidence.

Please do read through the info on the website and submit your evidence by Monday 6th February 2023.

 

TCAG evidence

Our written evidence has been accepted and published to the committee’s page for the inquiry written evidence.  You can also read our response and find out more about the inquiry, including details of the oral evidence hearing here.

 

Related

New Civil Engineer (Dec 2022) – MPs probe National Highways’ investment strategy following project cost hikes and delays