Managing our roads
Highland is a large and diverse region, with busy urban centres and remote rural communities. This diversity makes delivering local services challenging. To address this, we are investing in new technology and developing new working methods to improve service delivery.
Our road network is vital to daily life. It enables people to access jobs, schools, healthcare, and community facilities, while supporting local businesses and tourism. We work with various partners to ensure our services are efficient, effective, and offer the best value for residents and visitors.
Modern asset management is an important tool for achieving better value for money. During times of financial pressure, careful investment targeting is essential to maximise impact.
What is road asset management?
Asset management involves collecting information about the condition, age, and performance of roads, footways, bridges, and other infrastructure. We use this information to prioritise maintenance and renewal activities. It is an ongoing process, involving continuous data collection, review, and analysis to inform planning and decision-making.
We use asset management to:
- prioritise work based on risk and need
- balance preventative maintenance with planned renewals
- optimise available funding
- support the resilience of the road network over the long term
How we monitor our network
We conduct inspections, condition surveys, and data analysis to support lifecycle planning and track performance. This helps us manage deterioration, reduce costs, and maintain consistent standards across Highland’s urban and rural areas.
Working with partners
We collaborate with other Scottish local authorities through the Scottish Collaboration of Transportation Specialists (SCOTS).
Find out more about Scotland’s approach to road asset management on the SCOTS website.
Roadside verge maintenance
As a Roads Authority, we have a statutory duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to maintain roadside verges.