AtkinsRéalis and Jacobs have been appointed by National Highways to provide services on environmental and sustainability technical issues. This will support the strategy of National Highways to cut carbon emissions and boost biodiversity and climate resilience.
The AtkinsRéalis-Jacobs joint venture will work with National Highways to support the delivery of its Environmental Sustainability Strategy, which aims to achieve net zero emissions across England’s 7,200km of motorways and major A-roads by 2050.
The three-year contract has been commissioned through National Highways’ Specialist Professional and Technical Services Framework. The partners will provide a range of technical expertise across priority areas, including designing lower carbon roads, developing nature-based solutions, mitigating pollution, optimising resource and energy use, and integrating roads into surrounding landscapes.
Peter Baynham, AtkinsRéalis market director – Strategic Highways & Regional Roads, UK & Ireland, said: “England’s economy depends on our strategic road network and sustainability must be at its heart, not just for environmental protection, but because resilient, low-carbon infrastructure is essential for long-term growth. This appointment builds on our extensive environmental work with National Highways, including our ongoing collaboration with Jacobs and specialist supply chain. This combined expertise enables us to engineer roads which benefit both road users and the environment, continuing our work on sustainable development across England’s highways.”
Richard Sanderson, Jacobs senior vice president, Transportation, said: “Our integrated project delivery approach will be essential in supporting National Highways’ vision for a connected country and thriving environment. Leveraging our knowledge of the network and the supply chain, combined with our global environmental and sustainability capabilities, we are committed to helping National Highways foster a resilient natural environment, reduce carbon emissions and support community wellbeing.”
Stephen Elderkin, National Highways director of Environmental Sustainability said: “We are committed to delivering on our ambitious environmental sustainability goals. We want to have a connected country and a thriving environment. This means achieving our net zero targets, contributing to nature recovery and tackling local environmental pollution for the benefit of our neighbouring communities.
“In order to achieve those goals, we need to work collaboratively to accelerate the transformation of the highway sector. Drawing on expert support from our technical partners is a crucial step towards doing just that. AtkinsRealis and Jacobs have demonstrated a strong commitment to these values, and we look forward to working with them to deliver this vision.”
AtkinsRéalis and Jacobs have an eight-year track record of previous collaborations through National Highways’ Specialist Professional and Technical Services Framework. This includes the innovative "Structures Moonshot" project, which is exploring advanced technologies for bridge monitoring and maintenance, and trials of graphene-enhanced asphalt on the A12 that could extend the lifespan of road materials while reducing carbon.
Additionally, both companies are members of the Roads Research Alliance, and have achieved PAS 2080:2023 verification for carbon management in infrastructure, demonstrating their systematic approach to helping clients reduce carbon emissions across the entire infrastructure lifecycle.
