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Highways & Infrastructure Design
From Strategic Access to Adoptable Streetscapes
The success of any development depends on how people move through it. At Ellipsis Consulting Engineers Ltd, we provide comprehensive highways engineering for everything from private residential driveways to major spine roads.
Our expertise ensures your infrastructure meets the rigorous safety and technical standards of Manual for Streets and the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), facilitating smooth planning approvals and long-term site viability.
Our Core Highway Engineering Services
We navigate the complex legal and technical requirements of highway design, covering both private and public infrastructure.
Adoptable Highways (Section 38 & 278 Agreements)
If you intend for the local Highway Authority to maintain your roads in the future, they must be built to "adoptable" standards.
Section 38 Agreements: Designing new estate roads for future adoption.
Section 278 Agreements: Designing alterations to the existing public highway (e.g., new site entrances, junctions, or traffic calming).
Technical Approval: We manage the full submission process to secure Technical Approval (TA) from the local authority, reducing your risk of costly remedial works.
Active Travel & Cycleway Design
Sustainable development starts with how we prioritise pedestrians and cyclists. We design high-quality, safe, and inclusive active travel infrastructure that meets the latest government standards, such as LTN 1/20 (Cycle Infrastructure Design).
Segregated Cycle Facilities: Designing dedicated tracks and lanes with physical separation from motor traffic to increase safety and usage.
Quiet Streets & Filtered Permeability: Implementing traffic calming and "Low-Traffic Neighbourhood" (LTN) principles to create safer residential environments.
Junction Prioritisation: Designing advanced stop lines (ASLs), Dutch-style roundabouts, and signal-controlled crossings that prioritise cyclists.
Accessibility & Inclusion: Ensuring all footways meet Equality Act requirements, with appropriate gradients, tactile paving, and widths for wheelchairs and cargo bikes.
Highways Licences (S184 & S171)
Before any physical work begins on or adjacent to the public highway, specific legal consents are required under the Highways Act 1980.
Section 184 (S184) – Vehicle Crossings: Mandatory for creating, altering, or extending a vehicle access (dropped kerb). We provide the detailed drawings for visibility splays and pavement designs.
Section 171 (S171) – Street Works: Required for digging up the road, placing materials on the highway, or temporary excavations.
S50 Street Works Licences: For placing or maintaining private apparatus (like drainage pipes) under the public highway.
Private Infrastructure & Pavement Design
Not every road needs to be adopted. We design high-performance private access roads, service yards, and car parks.
Pavement Specification: Calculating thickness based on CBR testing and vehicle loading.
HGV Swept Path Analysis: Using AutoTrack to prove that refuse vehicles and fire tenders can navigate your site safely.
Technical Expertise & Detailed Design
Our engineers provide the full suite of construction-ready documentation:
Horizontal & Vertical Alignment: Ensuring safe sightlines, gradients, and curve radii.
Junction Design: From simple priority junctions to complex roundabouts.
Levels & Earthworks: Optimising site levels to balance "cut and fill," reducing the cost of exporting soil.
Integrated Infrastructure Solutions
A road is more than just a surface. We integrate our highways design with:
Utility Coordination: Mapping gas, water, electric, and fibre connections to avoid clashes.
Green Infrastructure & SuDS: Designing road drainage that feeds into rain gardens or permeable surfaces as part of a wider SuDS strategy.
Public Realm: Creating "Green Streets" that combine functional engineering with aesthetic streetscapes and urban planting.
Why Choose Our Highways Team?
Liaison-Led Approach: We act as the bridge between you and the Highway Authority to navigate the approval process.
Cost-Conscious Design: Reducing construction costs through smart material specification and earthworks balancing.
Future-Proofed Planning: Providing the technical drawings and Transport Statements needed to satisfy modern "Active Travel" planning conditions.
Move Your Project Forward
Whether you need a new site entrance or a full estate road layout, our engineers are ready to assist.
From Strategic Access to Adoptable Streetscapes
The success of any development depends on how people move through it. At Ellipsis Consulting Engineers Ltd, we provide comprehensive highways engineering for everything from private residential driveways to major spine roads.
Our expertise ensures your infrastructure meets the rigorous safety and technical standards of Manual for Streets and the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), facilitating smooth planning approvals and long-term site viability.
Our Core Highway Engineering Services
We navigate the complex legal and technical requirements of highway design, covering both private and public infrastructure.
Adoptable Highways (Section 38 & 278 Agreements)
If you intend for the local Highway Authority to maintain your roads in the future, they must be built to "adoptable" standards.
Section 38 Agreements: Designing new estate roads for future adoption.
Section 278 Agreements: Designing alterations to the existing public highway (e.g., new site entrances, junctions, or traffic calming).
Technical Approval: We manage the full submission process to secure Technical Approval (TA) from the local authority, reducing your risk of costly remedial works.
Active Travel & Cycleway Design
Sustainable development starts with how we prioritise pedestrians and cyclists. We design high-quality, safe, and inclusive active travel infrastructure that meets the latest government standards, such as LTN 1/20 (Cycle Infrastructure Design).
Segregated Cycle Facilities: Designing dedicated tracks and lanes with physical separation from motor traffic to increase safety and usage.
Quiet Streets & Filtered Permeability: Implementing traffic calming and "Low-Traffic Neighbourhood" (LTN) principles to create safer residential environments.
Junction Prioritisation: Designing advanced stop lines (ASLs), Dutch-style roundabouts, and signal-controlled crossings that prioritise cyclists.
Accessibility & Inclusion: Ensuring all footways meet Equality Act requirements, with appropriate gradients, tactile paving, and widths for wheelchairs and cargo bikes.
Highways Licences (S184 & S171)
Before any physical work begins on or adjacent to the public highway, specific legal consents are required under the Highways Act 1980.
Section 184 (S184) – Vehicle Crossings: Mandatory for creating, altering, or extending a vehicle access (dropped kerb). We provide the detailed drawings for visibility splays and pavement designs.
Section 171 (S171) – Street Works: Required for digging up the road, placing materials on the highway, or temporary excavations.
S50 Street Works Licences: For placing or maintaining private apparatus (like drainage pipes) under the public highway.
Private Infrastructure & Pavement Design
Not every road needs to be adopted. We design high-performance private access roads, service yards, and car parks.
Pavement Specification: Calculating thickness based on CBR testing and vehicle loading.
HGV Swept Path Analysis: Using AutoTrack to prove that refuse vehicles and fire tenders can navigate your site safely.
Technical Expertise & Detailed Design
Our engineers provide the full suite of construction-ready documentation:
Horizontal & Vertical Alignment: Ensuring safe sightlines, gradients, and curve radii.
Junction Design: From simple priority junctions to complex roundabouts.
Levels & Earthworks: Optimising site levels to balance "cut and fill," reducing the cost of exporting soil.
Integrated Infrastructure Solutions
A road is more than just a surface. We integrate our highways design with:
Utility Coordination: Mapping gas, water, electric, and fibre connections to avoid clashes.
Green Infrastructure & SuDS: Designing road drainage that feeds into rain gardens or permeable surfaces as part of a wider SuDS strategy.
Public Realm: Creating "Green Streets" that combine functional engineering with aesthetic streetscapes and urban planting.
Why Choose Our Highways Team?
Liaison-Led Approach: We act as the bridge between you and the Highway Authority to navigate the approval process.
Cost-Conscious Design: Reducing construction costs through smart material specification and earthworks balancing.
Future-Proofed Planning: Providing the technical drawings and Transport Statements needed to satisfy modern "Active Travel" planning conditions.
Move Your Project Forward
Whether you need a new site entrance or a full estate road layout, our engineers are ready to assist.