Better information for your journey
The National Traffic Control Centre collects real-time information on road conditions.
See when traffic will be lightest
Our traffic forecaster can help get you there quicker
Who We Are and What We Do
Who we are....
The Highways Agency, established in 1994, is an executive agency of the Department for Transport (DfT). A formal framework document, recently updated, sets out our respective roles and responsibilities and the governance of the relationship.
We have a small corporate centre in London and offices at eight locations across the country. We also have traffic officers working on motorways based in seven Regional Control Centres and 32 outstations.
Our Board includes our Chief Executive, six executive directors who are responsible for managing delivery of the Agency's responsibilities, and three non executive directors. Details can be found under Organisational structure.
... and what we do
We are responsible for managing, maintaining and improving the strategic road network in England on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport. Our primary functions are to manage traffic, tackle congestion, provide information to road users and improve safety and journey time reliability, whilst respecting and minimising the adverse impact on the environment. Find out more about our formal aim, objectives and values.
The strategic road network is made up of England’s motorways and all-purpose trunk roads (the major A roads). Valued at over £87 billion the network carries a third of all road traffic in England and two thirds of all heavy freight traffic. Millions of people use the network every day, it provides crucial support to business and industry, gives the individual the additional travel option when visiting friends and family, and access to a host of leisure destinations. View our network map.
We fulfil our role by working closely with our partners and contractors to deliver a safe and efficient network that meets the needs of all our customers. We have forged strong links with other road administrations in Europe and around the world by the exchange of information, experiences, expertise and innovative ideas. We are also active participants in a range of high profile roads-related forums.
We put customers first in everything we do, listening to them, and gaining a better understanding of the way our network impacts on them, so that we can better respond to their needs and expectations.
Our corporate plan Customers First, published in 2005, set out our vision for providing a continuously improving service to all our customers. This plan continues to focus our commitment to customers and to transform the ways in which we deliver services right across the Agency. More detail can be found in the 'Working with our customers and stakeholders' section of our Annual Report.
