Highway Maintenance and Commercial Landscaping

Camps Highways brings together practical information on highway maintenance and commercial landscaping for local authority officers, contractors, facilities managers and developers working in the UK. The roads, footways and green spaces under your care need regular attention, clear planning and reliable methods. This portal explains the techniques, tools and regulations that shape the work.

Methods and equipment

Highway maintenance covers structural repair, surface treatments and drainage work. Surface dressing restores skid resistance and seals a carriageway without adding significant thickness. Jet patching fills potholes quickly with a combination of aggregate and bitumen emulsion, reducing traffic disruption. Larger schemes involve reconstruction, where the existing layers are removed and replaced with a new pavement structure.

Commercial landscaping work ranges from grass cutting and hedge maintenance to invasive species control and tree surgery. Equipment includes pedestrian mowers, ride-on cutters, flails for overgrown verges, stump grinders and specialist herbicide applicators. On carriageways and footways, arisings — the material left after cutting or sweeping — must be collected and disposed of properly to avoid blocking gullies.

Structural assessment tools measure the condition of a road. A Falling Weight Deflectometer applies a controlled impact to the surface and records how far it deflects, revealing weakness in the layers beneath. Ground Penetrating Radar scans the pavement structure without excavation, identifying voids, moisture and the depth of each layer.

Planning and programmes

A road resurfacing programme begins with a network survey, often using video or scanner equipment mounted on a vehicle. The survey data feeds into a pavement management system, which ranks sections by condition and estimates the cost of different treatment options. Priorities are set according to usage, structural state and available budget.

Once a scheme is approved, the contractor prepares a method statement, a traffic management plan and a programme of dates. Pre-start meetings confirm access arrangements, material sources and diversion routes. On completion, a handover report records what was delivered, any variations from the original scope, and the as-built thickness of the new surface.

Commercial landscaping follows a seasonal cycle. Grass cutting runs from spring through to autumn, with frequency adjusted to growth rates. Hedge trimming avoids the bird nesting season. Weed control on hard surfaces may use herbicide or non-chemical methods such as hot water or mechanical removal, depending on the site's environmental policy.

Regulations and agreements

New roads built by developers are adopted by the highway authority under a Section 38 agreement, which sets design standards, construction materials and maintenance requirements. The developer pays a commuted sum — a lump sum that covers future maintenance costs for a set period.

Where development affects an existing highway, a Section 278 agreement governs the alterations. This might include a new junction, dropped kerbs, traffic signals or changes to footways. The agreement specifies who designs, builds and pays for the works, and what standard they must meet.

Road safety audits examine a design or a completed scheme to identify features that could cause collisions. The audit team works independently of the design team and produces a report listing safety concerns and recommended changes. Audits take place at several stages: preliminary design, detailed design, pre-opening and after opening to traffic.

Traffic management and site safety

Traffic management protects road workers and keeps traffic moving during works. The plan is drawn from the relevant chapter of the Traffic Signs Manual and must be approved before work starts. Signing includes advance warnings, temporary speed limits, lane closures and diversions. Vehicle-mounted attenuators — impact protection vehicles — shield the working area on high-speed roads.

On footways and verges, barriers separate pedestrians from plant and materials. Tactile paving at temporary crossings guides people with visual impairments. Contraflow arrangements let two-way traffic share one carriageway while the other is resurfaced.

Site operatives wear high-visibility clothing, and vehicles display Chapter 8 markings — chevrons and flashing beacons. The traffic management company provides trained operatives to install, maintain and remove the signs and cones. On complex schemes, a traffic management plan review takes place weekly.

Steps for setting up a safe working zone

1. Confirm the approved traffic management plan matches the site conditions and the work you will carry out that day.
2. Place advance warning signs at the distances the plan specifies, working back from the site towards approaching traffic.
3. Set out cones, barriers and any lane closures in the sequence the plan requires, with a vehicle-mounted attenuator positioned where the plan shows it.
4. Check that sightlines — the distance a driver can see ahead — remain adequate, and adjust signing if obstructions reduce visibility.
5. Carry out the work, keeping all operatives, plant and materials within the protected area, and monitor traffic flow throughout the shift.
6. Remove signing in reverse order once work finishes, clearing the carriageway of debris and checking the surface is safe for traffic.

Common challenges and practical responses

Budget constraints mean choosing the most cost-effective treatment. Surface dressing costs less than resurfacing but only suits roads in fair condition. Patching delays the need for full reconstruction but leaves a patchwork surface. Officers balance short-term savings against long-term durability.

Weather affects many operations. Asphalt cannot be laid in rain or when the surface temperature falls below a threshold. Surface dressing needs dry, warm conditions for the binder to cure. Grass cutting schedules shift when prolonged rain makes ground too soft for machinery.

Coordination with utilities reduces disruption. A road resurfaced one month and then excavated by a water company the next wastes public money and irritates residents. Joint planning meetings and permit systems help align works, though emergencies — burst mains, gas leaks — cannot always wait.

Verge and green space maintenance

Highway verges serve several purposes: they drain surface water, provide space for signs and barriers, and support biodiversity. Cutting frequency depends on the verge's role. Urban visibility splays are cut several times a year to maintain sightlines. Rural verges may be cut once or twice, with later cuts protecting wildflowers.

Commercial sites such as business parks, retail estates and distribution centres require regular grass cutting, hedge trimming and weed control. Contracts specify the standard expected — for example, grass kept below a certain height, edges neat, litter removed before mowing. Grounds maintenance teams work to a schedule agreed with the client, adjusting for weather and growth rates.

Invasive species such as Japanese knotweed spread quickly and damage hard surfaces, drains and foundations. Controlling them requires specialist knowledge and, in some cases, licensed herbicides. Non-chemical control involves repeated cutting and excavation, which takes longer but avoids chemical residues.

Inspections and records

Highway inspections identify defects that need repair. Inspectors walk or drive the network on a set cycle, recording potholes, edge failure, damaged kerbs and blocked gullies. Each defect is assigned a priority based on its size, location and risk. High-priority defects — deep potholes on busy roads — are repaired within days. Lower priorities join a programmed list.

Digital systems record inspection findings, work orders and completion dates. Photographs and GPS coordinates link each defect to its exact location. The records demonstrate that the authority has met its duty to maintain the highway and provide evidence if a claim arises.

Commercial landscaping contracts include periodic inspections. The client checks that grass has been cut to the agreed standard, hedges are trimmed square, and weeds have not reappeared. Any shortfall is recorded, and the contractor returns to correct it.

Links to related guidance

Understanding jet patching helps when deciding which repair method suits a particular defect. The technique delivers a fast fix but works best on smaller potholes. For roads showing widespread cracking or rutting, carriageway structural assessment reveals the condition of the layers beneath the surface, guiding the choice between patching, overlay or full reconstruction. When a scheme is approved, planning a resurfacing programme from survey through to handover keeps the work on schedule and within budget.

#Surface dressing #Road adoption #Traffic management

Download PDF: Highway and Landscaping Work: Pre-Start Checklist PDF, 30 KB