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Frequently asked questions
What is a trunk road?
A trunk road is a road considered by the Scottish Executive to be strategic to the national economy. All motorways and a significant number of A-roads are designated as trunk roads (see figure 1).
Are trunk roads managed and maintained in a different way to other roads?
Yes, trunk roads are the responsibility of and funded by the Scottish Executive. As such they are managed by the Department, maintained by the OCs and monitored by PAG. Local authorities are responsible for managing, maintaining and monitoring non-trunk roads.
What is the Department?
The Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department, and its components including the Transport Group, the Trunk Roads-Network Management Division, and Trunk Roads-Design and Construction Division.
What are the Department's responsibilities?
The Department is responsible to the Scottish Ministers for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network. To assist with this it employs OCs, works contractors and PAG.
What are OCs?
These companies are responsible for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network in each Unit, working under a contract to the Scottish Executive. These companies are:
- BEAR Scotland Ltd for NE and NW.
- Amey Infrastructure Services for SE and SW.
What do the OCs do on the network?
The OCs oversee, co-ordinate and undertake all cyclic, routine, and winter maintenance, and emergency response. In addition, they undertake discrete structural pavement maintenance, bridge strengthening and maintenance, structures inspection, road safety schemes, road marking, traffic sign and safety fence repairs, where schemes are valued at less than £150,000. The OCs are required to work to quality management systems consented to by the Department.
What else do the OCs do?
The OCs also oversee and co-ordinate maintenance works carried out by contractors on discrete contracts generally valued at more than £150,000 and works by utility companies (statutory undertakers). The OC undertakes day-to-day management of the Unit; provides professional and design services; carries out surveys, inspections and supervision; manages its allocated budget and reports to the Department.
What work is not done by the OCs?
Some maintenance and information management services carried out on the network are not the OCs' responsibility. These include: maintenance of M74 from junction 12 to the Scottish border, this is the responsibility of Autolink under the terms of the M6 DBFO project, see section 5; maintenance of M77 DBFO project, this is the responsibility of Connect; maintenance of NADICS equipment such as variable message signs, emergency telephones, permanent speed cameras and associated cabling; collection of data and maintenance of traffic counting equipment; and major trunk road improvements built by contractors appointed by the Department. Maintenance responsibility for these improvements is split between the contractor and the OC for a set period, up to five years, prior to full responsibility passing to the OCs. Apart from the M6 DBFO, the scope of this report does not include these other maintenance organisations.
What is PAG?
Halcrow, working in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Scott Wilson, was re-appointed by the Department as PAG for a second seven year term from December 2002. Halcrow and PricewaterhouseCoopers monitor performance on the four Units. Scott Wilson's role in PAG is primarily for the monitoring of the M6 DBFO project. Further sub-consultants with a minor input include: TRL, Gillespies, Tony Ham Insurance Brokers and the University of Dundee.
What is PAG's role?
PAG audits, monitors and reports on the financial, technical and performance aspects of the OCs to a plan agreed with the Department. PAG also checks payment requests from the OCs and carries out inter-Unit comparisons and value for money investigations at the request of the Department.
PAG acts as the 'Scottish Ministers' Agent' ( SMA) for the M6 DBFO project for which Autolink is the concession company.
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