1.0 Introduction
Version:
Last updated: September 2018
Establishment of an effective regime of inspection, survey and recording is the most crucial component of highway infrastructure maintenance.
The characteristics of the regime, including types and frequency of inspection, items to be recorded and nature of response, should be defined following an assessment of the relative risks associated with potential circumstances of location, agreed level of service and condition. These should be set in the context of the authority’s overall asset management strategy.
The inspection, survey and recording regime should provide the basic information for addressing the core objectives of highway maintenance namely:
- network safety;
- network serviceability; and
- network sustainability.
In order to meet its responsibilities as Highway Authority, the Council has established a formal regime of risk-based inspections across its adopted highway network in accordance with the guidance and recommendations contained in:
- Well-managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice, October 2016;
- Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Guidance Document, May 2013; and
- Well-managed Highway Liability Risk, March 2017.
This document, the Highway Safety Inspection Manual, deals solely with safety inspections and is aimed primarily at highway inspection personnel and defines the risk-based highway infrastructure safety inspection regime.