Revision of specification for the reinstatement of openings in highway

Tim Barrow
Traffic Management Division
Zone 3/17
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DR

E MAIL: tim.barrow@dft.gsi.gov.uk
DIRECT LINE: 020 7944 8046
FAX: 020 7944 2211

Web site: www.dft.gov.uk

9 August 2002

Dear Sir or Madam

THE NEW ROADS AND STREET WORKS ACT 1991: REVISION TO THE SPECIFICATION FOR THE REINSTATEMENT OF OPENINGS IN THE HIGHWAY.

The purpose of this letter is to notify you of a revision to the Second Edition of the street works Code of Practice: Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in the Highway. The revision, approved by the Secretary of State, allows the use of 600 kg per metre to 1000 kg per metre rollers and is effective from today's date.

The second edition of the Code, which I sent to you under cover of my letter of 21 June 2002, and which came into force on 1 July, contained a revised section dealing with compaction requirements. As a result, as of 1 July smaller sized rollers of between 600 kg per metre to 1000 kg per metre could no longer be used by undertakers when reinstating the highway. This change was made following evidence received that the required number of passes by the roller over the road surface, and hence the necessary quality of reinstatement was not being achieved in most cases.

However, since this change has been introduced the Department and the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC) have received a number of representations from the plant manufacturing and supply industry calling for their use to be reintroduced, on the grounds that:

(i) the industry would require more time to prepare for the changes in terms of replacing existing plant and obtaining the new larger rollers;

(ii) the smaller sized rollers can give an effective end product with less passes by the roller over the road surface than previously thought by HAUC.

Following a meeting between representatives of the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee and the rollers industry, contractors and plant hire organisations, it has now been decided that a change should be made to the second edition of the Code in order to restore the permitted use of these rollers.

The revision at Annex A will be inserted as a separate page into existing stocks of the 2002 Code held by The Stationery Office and issued shortly. The text will be fully incorporated into the Code at the time of the next reprint.

Within the next two years, HAUC will be commencing a further review of the second edition of the Specification to consider the need for any further changes. As part of this review, HAUC will be looking at whether it would be appropriate to continue to allow the use of 600-1000kg/m rollers in the longer term.

Copies of this letter will be placed on the Department's website at: www.street-works.dft.gov.uk and that of HAUC at: www.ecommunities.dft.gov.uk/highway/

Yours faithfully

Tim Barrow
Traffic Management Division