Easier access to highway design documents is now promised with the launch of a website to host the new Design Manual for Roads & Bridges.

The new DMRB has been produced following a challenge set by the Government in 2015 to review the usability, structure and content of the design manual by April 2020. Documents relate to current standards regarding the design, assessment and operation of motorways and all purpose trunk roads in the UK.

The design manual is overseen by Highways England, Transport Scotland, the Welsh Government and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. To view the new design manual, visit standardsforhighways.co.uk/dmrb

Increased levels of innovation in design, construction and operation of highways are encouraged by the new document, which is projected to reduce the need for departures from standard by 60% – helping to save £10M a year.

Documents on the website have been written in a more concise style, reducing word count by half, and the number of documents have reduced by 60%.

“To help the highways industry operate more efficiently, and to encourage more innovation, we have digitised and updated 300 standards used on a daily basis by anyone working on motorways and trunk roads in the UK and internationally,” explained Highways England’s head of technical standards Steve Davy.

“The new documents are in a format which make them far easier to read and apply,” he added.

(Photograph: Highways England)