Road strategies
This page contains the main road strategies and policies adopted by Essex County Council for managing the Highways network.
Essex Walking Strategy
This document contains the Essex Walking Strategy.
Highways Annual Plan
Sets out Essex Highways' approach to managing the network in Essex
Highways and Transportation Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Plan (HIAMP)
Highways and Transportation Asset Management Policy
Highways and Transportation Asset Management Strategy
Essex Highways Summary Communication Strategy
Essex County Council maintains a vast network of roads, over 5,000 miles in total length, together with a footway network of 4,000 miles (including footways shared with cycleways), and 4,000 miles of public rights of way. In addition there are over 1,500 highway structures and 128,000 street lighting columns, and other asset groups such as highway drainage, vehicle restraint systems, traffic signals and traffic signs. Essex County Council recognises the vital role that its highway network plays in the lives of residents, as well as the travelling public and local businesses. Effective asset management of the highway network and its infrastructure is fundamental in supporting the Council’s Vision of Essex being a county where innovation brings prosperity, and in contributing to the Council’s Corporate Outcomes. This represents a significant maintenance commitment and requires a robust approach to asset management. The Asset Management Policy and Strategy is at the heart of highways investment planning, budget setting and delivery of the Highways and Transportation service, and is described in the two documents above.
Essex Highways annual audit for BS ISO 55001 Asset Management in 2025/26, for the scope of carriageways and footways, was successful, marking a sustained, annual approach in Asset Management Excellence first acquired in January 2017/18. For more information relating to our Asset Management Policy and Strategy, please see the documents below.
Highway Authority Enforcement Policy
An explanation of how we prioritise the enforcement of encroachments, obstructions and unlawful interference with the highway to protect the use and enjoyment of the highway for the public.
Highways Maintenance Policy and General Principles
Essex County Council has a statutory duty to maintain the public highway to a reasonably safe standard. In order to comply with this duty we have developed the Highways Maintenance Policy and General Principles. This sets out how the highway will be maintained.
Highway Maintenance and Inspection Strategies
These documents support the overarching Highways Maintenance Policy and General Princliples (above). They set out and describe the service levels relating to our risk-based approach to managing how we organise, inspect and maintain our main asset groups.
Speed Management Strategy
This strategy is designed for use by all those involved in Speed Management to offer clear and consistent parameters for the setting of speed limits in Essex.
Traffic Management Strategy
This document contains Essex County Council’s Traffic Management Strategy for Essex roads for the next 20 years.