- 7. Client focus: National Highways
Building co-benefits while making net zero highways a reality
While many organisations have set targets to become net zero by a specific date, National Highways director of environmental strategy Steve Elderkin believes we should see this as just one part of our environmental efforts.
“Instead of thinking about integrating co-benefits into a net zero strategy, we need to think about integrating net zero into a broader environmental sustainability strategy. What we're trying to do is keep our planet habitable for future generations,” he explained. “One of the things we need is a stable climate, but we also need to address the nature crisis, local environmental pollution and make sure our infrastructure is resilient.”
According to Steve, this approach is what has guided National Highways’ journey with publication in 2021 of a net zero highways plan and was followed by an environmental sustainability strategy in 2023. Steve explained that the strategy assimilated carbon into a broader frame, which included nature and communities.
“It brought forward the idea that actually we're only going to be environmentally sustainable as an organisation if we make the transition to net zero highways, while also being positive for nature and tackling local environmental pollution and the impact that we're having on communities,” he said.
“Our environmental performance really matters. We’re short of being an entirely environmentally, sustainable organisation at the moment. Something like 8% of UK greenhouse gas emissions are emitted on our network. We own 30,000ha of vegetated land so that's a big sanctuary for nature. However, we also have significant impacts on nature because of the habitat severance that roads create. They fragment habitats, they isolate populations and historically we haven't done a lot about that when we've designed and built our roads.
“Clearly air quality, air pollution, noise pollution and water pollution – all of these local impacts really matter for neighbouring communities and affect health and wellbeing.”
Reducing carbon intensity year on year is challenging
However, Steve said that the answer is not to turn off roads: “Nine times as much freight travels by road as by rail and 4M journeys are made on our network every day. Roads are affordable, flexible and accessible. They are vital for national prosperity. We can’t build enough capacity to meet demand, so we have to work as part of an integrated transport system. This is not a competition – we need efficient bus and rail networks too.”
Steve explained that National Highways’ net zero plan had three headline targets: corporate targets; maintenance and construction; and operation.
“We are working to get our corporate emissions to net zero by 2030. Get our construction and maintenance emissions down to net zero by 2040 and get our road user emissions down to net zero by 2050,” explained Steve. “We are making progress.
“The construction emissions change due to the level of activity, but the intensity is dropping. Last year we saw a 6% drop in carbon intensity for our construction activity. But we need to be making that kind of reduction year on year and so that's really challenging.”
One of the key successes for National Highways on reducing its corporate emissions has been cutting electricity consumption by 25% in the last seven years. According to Steve, the process of delivering this has created a greater understanding of the assets the organisation manages.
The organisation has also put more than 1,000 staff through carbon literacy training too.
“It has been a good chance to engage everyone's thinking about net zero while really putting environmental sustainability at the heart of our future,” added Steve. “That this matters to us, is part of being able to attract and retain people in the organisation.”
Nature based solutions that drive economics and co-benefits
“We have undertaken a pilot programme of nature based flood management,” explained Steve. “About 10% of our network is prone to flooding, which is a safety issue, but it’s a really expensive issue to resolve by retro fitting wider, bigger capacity drains.
“The majority of our asset was built before modern standards were written and 95% will not be replaced by enhancement schemes, so we’ve been looking at what nature-based solutions can do to overcome that.
“It cost a third as much to store a cubic metre of water using nature-based solutions as using hard engineering solutions.”
It didn't reduce the flood risk significantly because the scale and the ambition were not enough within that pilot but it showed the potential of the techniques if the size of the solutions is much bigger. “The cost effectiveness is really attractive and, as well as storing the water, it stores carbon,” explained Steve.
National Highways is also looking outside its assets to create climate resilience and create co-benefits. As an example, Steve pointed to the work being done with Moors for the Future near Manchester to help restore moorland. “If the moors are returned to good health, they attenuate the flow of water onto our network and that in itself can help us with flood risk, while also improving the environment,” he said.
National Highways has also switched its standards on soil to a lower nutrient specification which may sound counterproductive for nature at first thought. However, Steve said that the lower nutrients actually increase biodiversity, preventing dominance by a few species, such as brambles and nettles. The less vigorous growth means it does not need to be cut back each year, which reduces operational costs, as well as reducing customer impacts from traffic management and reducing carbon.
Considering the broader gains through every step in the chain
As examples of the work to reduce carbon emissions from construction work, Steve spoke about the use of hydrogen generators on the A63 Castle Street project in Hull which reduced noise and air pollution for nearby residents. He also discussed the low carbon resurfacing scheme that took place in Hartlepool: “They thought about every step in the chain from the quarry to the machinery, using the highest recycled content and bio binders in the asphalt.” That focus also delivered wellbeing benefits for the workforce – a 23t fully battery electric excavator was used which was quiet and free of vibration.
Benefits can also be derived at the design stage, which is being demonstrated on the A417 in Gloucester. “Through the design process, the vertical alignment was modified,” explained Steve. “Less material needed to be imported; it reduced the need for concrete retaining walls. It delivered big cost savings and 60,000t of carbon savings, plus removing all of that haulage had a beneficial impact for the local communities.”
Steve firmly believes that National Highways’ three headline targets to achieving net zero are critical but considering how other benefits can be delivered as part of that is also essential. He urged other asset owners, and those working in their supply chains, to consider how the drive to net zero can deliver broader environmental gains rather than just net zero.
