Highway Maintenance Market Report – UK 2019-2023

Highways maintenance accounts for a significant percentage of UK infrastructure spending. Key areas include road surfacing, drainage for new construction and improvements and street lighting and furniture. It is now generally recognised that sizeable investment is required to make the UK’s road network fit for purpose. Considerable investment is being directed to fix road problems such as potholes, a situation exacerbated by recent UK weather conditions. The industry is also being shaped by environmental and sustainability considerations, which have led to investments in cycling infrastructure in major cities such as London, as well as the introduction of energy-saving and energy-efficient products (e.g. LED street lights).

The UK highways maintenance market is valued at approximately £10.5bn and represents a major component of UK infrastructure spending. This figure is thought to be growing, due to the considerable investment in road maintenance and construction which is currently taking place.

Public sector capital spending remains under constant pressure, a situation which has led to squeezing of many highways maintenance budgets. However, the Government has committed to major spending and investment programmes in the road network, as well as other transport projects driven by factors such as increased road congestion, rising population levels and deterioration of roads by adverse winter weather.

Non-domestic construction output in the UK was valued at nearly £97bn in 2018, according to latest estimates from AMA Research. This represents an increase of around 2% from the previous year. A further rise in output value to almost £100bn is anticipated in 2019, due primarily to growth within the infrastructure sector.

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 6
1.1 BACKGROUND 6
1.2 SOURCES OF INFORMATION 6
2. SUMMARY & MARKET PROSPECTS 8
2.1 SUMMARY 8
2.2 MARKET PROSPECTS 10
3. ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 12
3.1 OVERVIEW AND OUTLOOK 12
3.2 KEY DATA 12
3.2.1 GDP 12
3.2.2 Inflation & Interest Rates 13
3.2.3 Employment & Wages 14
3.2.4 Household Consumption 15
3.2.5 Sterling 16
4. HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE EXPENDITURE 18
4.1 MARKET INFLUENCE & TRENDS 18
4.2 MARKET PROSPECTS 24
4.3 DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT 27
4.4 ENGLAND 31
4.4.1 Highways England 31
4.4.2 Local Authority Expenditure on Highway Maintenance: Non-motorway and Trunk Roads 33
4.4.3 London Boroughs 36
4.5 SCOTLAND 37
4.6 WALES 39
4.7 TRANSPORT NI 40
4.8 TYPES OF CONTRACT 40
5. SPECIALIST HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES 43
5.1 INTRODUCTION & DEFINITION 43
5.2 PRODUCTS & PROCESSES 43
5.2.1 Bitumen Macadam Asphalt Surfacing 43
5.2.2 Surface Dressing 47
5.2.3 Surface Dressing Aggregates 49
5.2.4 Resin Anti-Skid Surfacing/High Friction Surfacing 49
5.2.5 Slurry Seal Micro Surfacing 50
5.2.6 Bitumen Emulsions 51
5.2.7 Footpaths 52
5.2.8 Road Planing & Retreading 53
5.2.9 Road Markings 54
5.2.10 Emergency Highway Bitumen Reinstatement Products 54
5.2.11 Road Studs 56
5.2.12 Winter Maintenance 57
5.2.13 Road and Street Lighting 57
5.3 DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS 61
6. HIGHWAYS CONTRACTORS / MATERIAL SUPPLIERS 63
6.1 TERM MAINTENANCE CONTRACTORS 63
6.2 PRODUCT SUPPLIERS / DISTRIBUTORS 66
6.3 SPECIALIST ROAD CONTRACTORS 71
6.3.1 Consulting engineers 74

TABLES AND CHARTS

CHART 1: ROAD AND TOTAL INFRASTRUCTURE OUTPUT IN THE UK 2014-2019 (£M) 8
CHART 2: GDP DATA – 2015-2019 – KEY CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS 13
CHART 3: CPI INFLATION AND BANK OF ENGLAND BASE RATE, 2008-2023 14
CHART 4: AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS DATA – GB – TOTAL PAY – 2014-2019 (SEASONALLY ADJUSTED) 15
CHART 5: PDI & SAVINGS RATIO AT CURRENT PRICES 2008-2023 16
CHART 6: EXCHANGE RATE FLUCTUATIONS 2015-2021 – STERLING TO THE DOLLAR, AND THE EURO, SPOT RATES 17
TABLE 7: INFRASTRUCTURE OUTPUT BY SECTOR 2014-2018 – BY VALUE (£M) AND % CHANGE BY VALUE 18
TABLE 8: STRUCTURAL CONDITION OF ROADS IN ENGLAND & WALES: 2018/2019 (%) 21
TABLE 9: NUMBER OF POTHOLES, TOTAL SPEND – ENGLAND & WALES 2013/14- 2018/19 21
CHART 10: LICENSED VEHICLES BY TYPE 2018: TOTAL ALL VEHICLES (%) 23
CHART 11: % OF ROAD LENGTH AND TRAFFIC BY CLASSES OF ROAD IN GREAT BRITAIN 2016 24
TABLE 12: DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT – DEPARTMENTAL SPENDING (£M), 2014/2015-2019/2020 27
CHART 13: DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT: EXPENDITURE BY SECTOR (%) 2018/2019 28
TABLE 14: DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT – LOCAL AUTHORITY TRANSPORT BUDGETS (£M) 2014/2015-2019/2020 30
TABLE 15: STRUCTURE OF HIGHWAYS ENGLAND OPERATIONAL AREAS 2018/2019-REGIONS, OPERATIONAL AREAS COVERED, ROADS MANAGED 32
TABLE 16: HIGHWAYS ENGLAND: EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN (£M), 2017/2018-2018/2019 33
CHART 17: LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE BY KEY SECTORS (%) 2018/2019 34
TABLE 18: HIGHWAYS/TRANSPORT EXPENDITURE BY ENGLISH LOCAL AUTHORITIES – 2013/2014-2018/2019 34
TABLE 19: LOCAL AUTHORITIES – CAPITAL EXPENDITURE ON ROADS IN ENGLAND (£M) 2015/2016-2017/2018 35
TABLE 20: AVERAGE HIGHWAYS MAINTENANCE BUDGET PER LOCAL AUTHORITY IN ENGLAND, LONDON (£M), 2013/14- 2018/19 36
TABLE 21: MOTORWAYS AND TRUNK ROADS EXPENDITURE: SCOTLAND 2015/16 – 2019/20 BY WORK AREA 38
TABLE 22: ROADS AND TRANSPORT REVENUE EXPENDITURE WALES 2013/14 – 2017/18 39
TABLE 23: TOTAL PRODUCTION OF HOT MIX ASPHALT AND MACADAM MIXES IN UK 2014 – 2023 MILLION TONNES/NO. OF PRODUCTION PLANTS 44
TABLE 24: MAIN USES FOR BITUMEN-BASED ASPHALTS AND MACADAMS 2018 45
CHART 25: LEADING SUPPLIERS OF ASPHALT AND MACADAM IN THE UK – MARKET SHARES 2018 46
TABLE 26: UK SURFACE DRESSING MARKET: BINDER SUPPLY – BITUMEN EMULSION – 2014-2023 (000 TONNES) 48
TABLE 27: SUPPLIERS OF SURFACE DRESSING BINDERS IN THE UK – ESTIMATED VOLUMES AND MARKET SHARE 2018 48
TABLE 28: BITUMEN EMULSIONS MARKET – MIX BY SURFACE DRESSING/OTHERS: 2014-2023 (000’S TONNES) 51
TABLE 29: MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS OF LEADING COMPANIES SUPPLYING CEMENT-BASED BAGGED MANHOLE LEVELLING COMPOUNDS AND SETTING 2018 56
TABLE 30: UK PUBLIC SECTOR EXPENDITURE ON STREET LIGHTING (£M) – 2013/2014-2018/2019 58
TABLE 31: LOCAL AUTHORITIES – CAPITAL EXPENDITURE ON STREET LIGHTING IN ENGLAND (£M), 2015/2016-2017/2018 59
TABLE 32: STREET LIGHTING MARKET 2016/2017-2021 60
CHART 33: PRODUCT MIX OF PUBLIC SECTOR STREET LIGHTING 2018 – % BY VOLUME 60
CHART 34: MERCHANTS MARKET SHARES 2018 61