Highway Authority
Encyclopedia
A highway authority is a name given to a body responsible for the administration of public roads.
is the national authority for the management of a network of over 60,000 km of National Highways in India. The Authority is a part of the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways.
is a government agency under the Malaysian Ministry of Works. The agency was founded in 1980 to build the North-South Expressway, but now the main function of Malaysian Highway Authority is to monitor the works and administration of expressways in Malaysia as subject to Federal Roads Act (Private Managements) 1984.
is responsible for building and maintaining highways and motorways in Pakistan.
a highway authority is an organisation that is responsible for the maintenance of public roads. The current role of a highway authority is defined in the Highways Act 1980
and the role is held by a large number of different groups.
s and trunk motorways are the Highways Agency
, Transport Scotland
and the Welsh Assembly respectively.
For all other roads, the Highway Authority is usually the county council
or unitary authority
for a particular area. District council
s may carry out some of the functions of a highway authority, but these are usually delegated to them by their county council.
for more information on unitary authorities and county and district councils.
, owing to the expanded responsibility for mass transport like passenger rail and even airport
s and ferry
service. Some U.S. state
s also have separate highway authorities for toll road
s, sometimes the responsibility of a regional government or metropolitan government rather than a state government
.
For example, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
is an instrumentality and administrative agency of the State of Illinois
. The Authority has the power to collect and raise toll
s, and is responsible for the maintenance and construction of tollway roads and related signage (including electronic message boards, used for driving-time notices, Amber Alert
s, and other notifications). The Tollway also supervises and manages the seven Illinois Tollway oases (rest area
s). The Illinois DOT manages other state roads.
India
The National Highways Authority of IndiaNational Highways Authority of India
The National Highways Authority of India is an autonomous agency of the Government of India, responsible for management of a network of over 60,000 km of National Highways in India...
is the national authority for the management of a network of over 60,000 km of National Highways in India. The Authority is a part of the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways.
Malaysia
Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia (LLM) or Malaysian Highway AuthorityMalaysian Highway Authority
The Malaysian Highway Authority or Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia is a government agency under the Malaysian Ministry of Works...
is a government agency under the Malaysian Ministry of Works. The agency was founded in 1980 to build the North-South Expressway, but now the main function of Malaysian Highway Authority is to monitor the works and administration of expressways in Malaysia as subject to Federal Roads Act (Private Managements) 1984.
Pakistan
The National Highway AuthorityNational Highway Authority
The National Highway Authority is responsible for building and maintaining highways and motorways in Pakistan. The objective of the NHA is to "plan, promote and organize programmes for construction, development, operation, repairs & maintenance of National Highways, Motorways & strategic roads."-...
is responsible for building and maintaining highways and motorways in Pakistan.
United Kingdom
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
a highway authority is an organisation that is responsible for the maintenance of public roads. The current role of a highway authority is defined in the Highways Act 1980
Highways Act 1980
The Highways Act 1980 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom dealing with the management and operation of the road network in England and Wales. It consolidated with amendments several earlier pieces of legislation. Many amendments relate only to changes of highway authority, to include...
and the role is held by a large number of different groups.
Who are the highway authorities?
In England, Scotland and Wales, the highway authorities for trunk roadTrunk road
A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more cities, ports, airports, and other things.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic...
s and trunk motorways are the Highways Agency
Highways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...
, Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland was created on 1 January 2006 as the national transport agency of Scotland. It is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government's Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department and accountable to Scottish Ministers...
and the Welsh Assembly respectively.
For all other roads, the Highway Authority is usually the county council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
or unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
for a particular area. District council
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
s may carry out some of the functions of a highway authority, but these are usually delegated to them by their county council.
for more information on unitary authorities and county and district councils.
Duties of a highway authority
Provided below is an incomplete list of duties of the highway authorities.- To maintain all highways classed as being "maintainable at public expense" that fall within their area of control.
- To maintain records of all "highways maintainable at public expense" within their area of control.
- To regulate the activities of developers in relation to their highways.
United States
In the U.S., a highway authority is now usually called a department of transportationDepartment of Transportation
The Department of Transportation is the most common name for a government agency in North America devoted to transportation. The largest is the United States Department of Transportation, which oversees interstate travel. All U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and many local agencies also have...
, owing to the expanded responsibility for mass transport like passenger rail and even airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s and ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service. Some U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s also have separate highway authorities for toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
s, sometimes the responsibility of a regional government or metropolitan government rather than a state government
State government
A state government is the government of a subnational entity in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or be subject to the direct control of the federal government...
.
For example, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority is an instrumentality and administrative agency of the State of Illinois, United States. The roads, as well as the Authority itself, are sometimes referred to as the Illinois Tollway...
is an instrumentality and administrative agency of the State of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The Authority has the power to collect and raise toll
Toll
The word toll has several meanings.Road transportation infrastructure* "Toll" is sometimes used as a synonym for tariff** Toll road, a road for which road usage tolls are charged...
s, and is responsible for the maintenance and construction of tollway roads and related signage (including electronic message boards, used for driving-time notices, Amber Alert
AMBER Alert
An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child, since 1996...
s, and other notifications). The Tollway also supervises and manages the seven Illinois Tollway oases (rest area
Rest area
A rest area, travel plaza, rest stop, or service area is a public facility, located next to a large thoroughfare such as a highway, expressway, or freeway at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting on to secondary roads...
s). The Illinois DOT manages other state roads.