📍 Highway Design Specification – Compliant Highway Works & Standards
Effective highway design is essential for ensuring safe, accessible, and compliant road infrastructure for new developments, commercial projects, and large-scale construction works. At Paddick Engineering, we provide highway design specifications that meet all current highway standards, ensuring your project gains technical approval from the local highways authority in a timely manor.
We work with property developers, contractors, and local councils to design and deliver:
- ✅ Alterations to existing and new Adoptable roads (Section 278, 184 & Section 38).
- ✅ Footpaths, cycleways, and pedestrian access.
- ✅ Highway drainage and surface water management.
- ✅ Vehicle crossovers and road widening projects.
Whether you require a full highway design specification, highway works approval, or guidance on meeting highway standards, our expert team can support you through the entire process.
🛣️ What Is a Highway Design Specification?
A highway design specification is a detailed technical plan that outlines the construction, layout, and materials used for roads, footways, and highways infrastructure individual to each council or county. This specification ensures that all highway works meet the required:
- ✅ National Highway Standards.
- ✅ Local Authority Highway Guidance.
- ✅ Section 278 and Section 38 Agreement Requirements.
The design must also incorporate elements such as:
- 🚗 Road alignment and layout.
- 🛑 Junction and access design.
- 💧 Highway drainage and surface water management.
- 🚶♀️ Footpaths, cycleways, and public rights of way.
Our team ensures your highway design is fully compliant, practical, and cost-effective.
🏗 What Are S278 Highway Works?
🛣️ Key Elements of a Standard Highway Design
Highway works refer to any construction, modification, or improvement carried out on public highways, roads, or carriageways. These will always require permission from the local highway authority and must enter into a S278 agreement before works can commence.
Common examples of highway works include:
- ✅ New bellmouth construction for residential or commercial developments.
- ✅ Modifications to existing highways, such as road widening or pedestrian crossings.
- ✅ Dropped kerbs and vehicle crossovers.
- ✅ New footpaths, cycleways, and public access routes.
- ✅ Drainage and surface water management for highway runoff.
All highway works must comply with the local highways authority design guide and require legal agreements such as:
- 📜 Section 278 Agreements – For alterations to existing public highways.
- 📜 Section 38 Agreements – For the adoption of new roads or highways by local authorities.
Our engineers design, prepare, and submit highway works specifications to ensure your project gains fast approval.
A standard highway design must meet several technical and safety requirements to gain local authority approval. Our team ensures every design includes:
✅ 1. Road Layout and Geometry
We design carriageways, junctions, and road alignments to meet the:
- Local authority highway Design guide.
- Manual for Streets (MfS).
- Local Authority Highway Design Standards.
✅ 2. Footways, Cycleways, and Public Access
Our designs incorporate:
- Pedestrian footpaths.
- Cycle lanes and crossings.
- Dropped kerbs and vehicle crossovers.
- Accessible public rights of way.
Ensuring these elements comply with accessibility and safety regulations is critical for approval.
✅ 3. Highway Drainage and Surface Water Management
We provide highway drainage designs to control surface water runoff, including:
- 💧 Surface water storage and attenuation.
- 💧 Highway drainage systems.
- 💧 Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS).
We also handle all drainage calculations, ensuring highways do not flood or overload the existing drainage network.
✅ 4. Construction Materials and Specifications
All materials used in the highway construction (asphalt, kerbing, drainage) must meet standard highway specifications set out in:
- 📜 Manual for Streets (MfS).
- 📜 Highways Act 1980.
- 📜 Local Authority Highway Standards.
We provide detailed material specifications to ensure your construction team uses the correct materials and methods.
📄 What Is a Section 278 Agreement?
A Section 278 Agreement (S278) is a legal agreement between a developer and the local highway authority, allowing work to be carried out on existing public highways.
You will need a Section 278 Agreement if your project involves:
- ✅ New access roads.
- ✅ Junction improvements.
- ✅ Highway widening or modifications.
- ✅ New drainage connections to highways.
We prepare and submit Section 278 Applications, ensuring your project progresses without delays.
🏢 What Is a Section 38 Agreement?
A Section 38 Agreement (S38) allows a developer to construct a new road that will later be adopted by the local highway authority.
This agreement is required when:
- ✅ New roads are constructed within residential or commercial developments.
- ✅ The developer intends for the local authority to adopt the road.
- ✅ Highway infrastructure like drainage and street lighting is being built.
We produce full highway design specifications to ensure fast approval from the local highway authority.
📝 Why Choose Paddick Engineering for Highway Design?
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| ✅ Highway Design Compliance | We ensure your highway design meets local and national standards. |
| ✅ Section 278/38 Approval | We prepare all documentation required for highway adoption. |
| ✅ Drainage & Surface Water Design | We integrate highway drainage systems to prevent flooding. |
| ✅ Detailed Design Specifications | All construction materials and methods are detailed in the specification. |
📞 Need a Highway Design Specification or Section 278/38 Agreement?
If your project requires:
- ✅ Highway design plans.
- ✅ Section 278/38 approvals.
- ✅ Standard highway design specifications.
- ✅ Highway drainage and surface water management.
Our team of specialist highway engineers will ensure your project is fully compliant, cost-effective, and approved without delay.
👉 Contact us today for a no-obligation consultation.