National Highways' net zero carbon plan

Interview with the Director of Environmental Sustainability at National Highways

Steve Elderkin explains how WSP and National Highways are working together to plan and execute the transformation of highways to deliver the roadmap of net-zero by 2050.

Travel by road provides a convenient, low cost and practical way to travel to see family, to get to work and to deliver goods. In the United Kingdom, almost nine out of ten passenger miles are travelled by road and 79% of freight goods moved in the UK are moved by road.

Even with huge investment in other transport and ways of working, most journeys will still be made by road in 2050. Yet transport and construction has to transition to zero carbon by 2050 which is the UK’s Nationally Determined Commitment.

National Highways is the UK Government agency which plans, designs, builds, operates, maintains and improves England's motorways and major A-roads - making journeys safer, smoother and more reliable. In 2021, it launched its first net zero plan, a key part of the Government’s own 2021 Net Zero strategy and supporting the Department for Transport’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

Location

England, UK

Client

National Highways

Project Status

Ongoing

National Highways recognizes the threat of climate change and the risks it poses for us all. That’s why we’ve pledged effective action to take carbon out of roads. It will put roads at the heart of the low carbon economy, while preserving the convenience and economic benefit of an efficient road network.

Nick Harris Chief Executive, National Highways

England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN)

Passenger miles are travelled by road in the UK

9/10 9/10

Million daily journeys take place on roads managed by National Highways

4 4

Miles of motorways and roads are managed by National Highways

4,300 4,300

The UK’s largest ever carbon management plan

WSP was lead advisor to National Highways on developing and supporting implementation of the plan. This aligned to the Paris Agreement and is based on science-based targets. The plan delivers strong action from the outset and draws on WSP’s experience of environmental science, management consultancy and engineering expertise.

We brought together a collaborative project team from across WSP supported by our framework partners – KMPG, Mott Macdonald and Ramboll. We listened, collaborated, and engaged deeply across National Highways – drawing from extensive input from the Board and Executive Committee, through to the practitioners who would lead implementation of the plan. This collaborative approach helped to create a plan which is both ambitious and deliverable and which positions the Strategic Road Network at the heart of delivering net zero.

The plan, Net Zero Highways: our 2030 / 2040 / 2050 contains three strong commitments, backed by opportunities for immediate and sustained action. This includes:

Deliver net zero in its own organizational emissions by 2030: This covers energy used to light and power National Highways’ network, travel by their traffic officers, and the energy used in their offices and other travel. It also includes the carbon locked up in trees and plants on motorway verges.
Deliver net zero maintenance and construction emissions by 2040: This target covers the greenhouse gases emitted in making materials used to keep the network in good condition. This includes cement, steel and asphalt. It also includes the transport of materials and emissions from construction.
Deliver net zero carbon travel on their roads by 2050: The largest source of emissions comes from the vehicles driving on the road network. This will require a 55% reduction in emissions by 2030 and up to a 90% reduction in emissions by 2040. National Highways’ plan will enable this transition by investing in the infrastructure needed by road users like electric vehicle charging facilities.

The project builds on a series of other strategic projects that WSP has supported National Highways on, including the development of its Digital Roads Strategy and as an advisor on the Scheme Delivery Framework.

Most UK travel is by road today and this will still be the case in 2050, even with necessary strong investment in active travel and public transport. National Highways’ strategy will help deliver fossil free car and truck travel by 2050 as well as catalyzing zero carbon construction in line with the UK Climate Change Committee’s recommendations.

David Symons Project Director, WSP