Distinct from works done to repair and maintain the road itself, street works are works carried out by utility companies to install, repair or maintain their services, including water, gas, electricity and communications including broadband. These works usually involve digging up roads or pavements, causing disruption to the travelling public and can affect the surface quality, integrity and lifespan of the road and pavement.
KCC does not have the power to prevent utility companies carrying out planned or emergency works on Kent roads. The limited powers the council does have is to minimise disruption wherever possible through co-ordination of all works in the highway to avoid conflicts.
The Transport Select Committee is now investigating ways to help limit the damage and disruption to roads and pavements carried out by utility companies and other providers, and the effectiveness of fines that councils, like KCC, can impose on them if their works are mismanaged.
In January 2025, KCC submitted evidence to the Transport Select Committee on the disruption caused by street works with innovation being a key focus. Recommendations included:
- amending the legal definition of emergency works
- promoting technology to reduce the length of time roads are occupied.
KCC has been working with 1Spatial, a company that has developed 1Streetworks – an application that produces compliant traffic management plans in under two minutes. Following trials with UK Power Networks (UKPN), using 1Streetworks could reduce road closures by up to 40%.
Further funds have now been awarded to roll this out on a greater scale across all works promoters within Kent. If successful, the benefits to Kent, its citizens, and the organisations that operate here could be significant.
“Street works will continue to be busy, and we expect this to only increase if nothing is changed. I thoroughly welcome this investigation, and I look forward to Kent having a voice on this subject.”
Neil Baker, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We want to see significant change in this area and I am pleased that we have been asked by the select committee to give verbal evidence on the impact this is having on residents and businesses in Kent.
‘Across Kent, and the UK, temporary road closures continue to increase. In the past six months, Kent had almost twice as many emergency closures carried out by utility companies, telecommunication providers, and developers, compared to those carried out by KCC for emergency road repairs.
‘Street works will continue to be busy, and we expect this to only increase if nothing is changed. I thoroughly welcome this investigation, and I look forward to Kent having a voice on this subject.”
KCC’s written evidence can be found on the Transport Select Committee website.
