Planning national and regional road networks
Well planned road networks start with a clear understanding of the purpose and value the road network brings to the end user.
Whether it is to ease congestion, make roads safer, create more space for multimodal travel or build more reliable connectivity for a growing or changing community, our road and transport planners bring clarity to these evolving networks. We conduct network studies, looking at which parts of the existing or missing network need most attention. This gives our clients a firmer basis and programme for road investment and development decisions.
Our work supporting the Texas Department of Transportation on their ‘cap and stitch’ program has seen us set a vision identifying locations and programmes for intervention as they construct new highways decks (caps) and expand bridges (stitches) that will be built on top of the newly recessed freeway. This will enhance safety, mitigate noise and pollution from the road and foster the reconnection of communities across East and West Austin.
Planning at scale
We undertake masterplanning at national road network level. By using the latest digital tools to look at changes in traffic demand and road users’ behaviour, we help clients develop strategies which are user-focused, appropriate to their aspirations for level of service and within the boundaries of their budget.
At the heart of our planning ethos is consideration for the impact of the road network on the surrounding environment. We worked with National Highways to go beyond typical scheme mitigation measures alongside the development of the A30 in Cornwall. Our landscape planners took a regenerative land management approach to the Keyn Glas project, seeking to restore habitats and historical landscapes while increasing biodiversity of the land surrounding the road.
Working with National Highways, Arup has designed Keyn Glas, a landscape scheme alongside the A30 in Cornwall that takes a regenerative approach to land management, restoring habitats and historic landscapes, increasing biodiversity, and reducing the risks of climate change impacts such as flooding.
The project will leave a legacy of richer, more resilient and diverse ecosystems, and a more beautiful, sustainable and productive landscape for Cornwall. Contributing to National Highways targets to deliver no net loss in biodiversity by 2025, and a net gain by 2040, our design approach and landowner engagement techniques from Keyn Glas are now being used as a blueprint for projects across the country, helping reduce carbon and tackle the impacts of climate change.
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Explore
Learn more about our work and how our services can support your project
Projects
Explore more roads and streets projects
Transforming the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine to deliver more than just safer journeys
A66 Northern Trans-Pennine upgrade, UK
Creating a net zero future for Western Australia’s road network
Main Roads Western Australia Net Zero 2050 Transition Roadmap, Australia
Covering Antwerp Ring Road: paving the way for a greener, safer and connected city of Antwerp
Antwerp Ring Road, Belgium
Digital tool identifies carbon reduction strategies for major roads
Outcome-led design tool, Australia
National road networks
We help national road agencies and contractor clients to develop and optimise networks which span regional and national – and even international – borders.