This summer saw the end of the first Road Investment Strategy IRIS], followed by news that Highways England chief executive Jim O'Sullivan is stepping down. Rumours had been circulating for some time (due to the alleged commissioning of a commemorative coffee table book) but it still comes as a jolt to the sector-a moment in roads history has passed. Government departments and their offshoots are often reordered and rebranded. It is unlikely that any of it makes a difference, but the arrival of Highways England did feel like a change. In one of his first interviews with this magazine, Mr O'Sullivan argued that the roads sector was back, that after the protests of the 90s it was OK to talk about roads again. Indeed, Highways England has revitalised the sector and, while major schemes like the A14 won awards and plaudits, it is many of the behind-the-scenes achievements that could have the biggest long-term impact: the rewriting of the DMRB and the creation of world leading software to develop it, surveying the entire network under the iRAP safety system, and launching connected vehicle research on the A2/M2 corridor.
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