Network occupancy

Information for those who need to carry out works or divert traffic onto the National Highways strategic road network.

Network occupancy

Principles of network occupancy

The following standards and requirements apply when you're working on, over or under the strategic road network:

If you're carrying out works or activities for National Highways

Standards and requirements are set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges.

Sections of particular relevance include:

GM 702 - Operational requirements for network occupancy

GG 902 - Customer service standard for accurate advance notification of planned closures

GG 116 - Requirements and guidance on temporary traffic management short term lane closures for relaxation works, types 0, 1 and 2

GG 115 - Requirements for works on the hard shoulder and road side verges on high speed dual carriageways

If you're carrying out works or activities for anyone other than National Highways

National Highways is a noticing authority. Applications for occupancy should be made - and will be managed - in accordance with noticing legislation and regulations, in particular:

New Roads and Streetworks Act 1991

The Street Works (Registers, Notices, Directions and Designations) (England) Regulations 2007


Applying for network occupancy

If you're carrying out works or activities for National Highways

You must apply through the RoadSpace Booking Portal.

Once you've been given access to the Portal, you'll need a Microsoft Power Apps licence to use it.

If you have any questions, please email the RoadSpace Portal Admin team

If you're carrying out works or activities for anyone other than National Highways

Statutory Undertakers must apply through Street Manager.

If you're not a Statutory Undertaker, please contact the relevant team via the contact details below.


Roads we manage and maintain

It's important to understand whether the network you want to work on is managed by National Highways or another highway authority.

You can find information regarding roads managed by National Highways here. 

Findmystreet.co.uk provides further information about who manages which roads.


How our regional networks availability teams work

Our regional network availability teams coordinate and optimise occupancy of the strategic road network for statutory undertakers, internal stakeholder requirements and third-party requirements.

For general queries about how our network is managed you can reach out to our customer contact centre through our help pages.

If you have a specific query relating to occupancy of the strategic road network that has not been answered on these pages, you can contact the relevant regional team as follows:

East: Eastnetworkoccupancy@nationalhighways.co.uk 

Midlands: Midsnetworkoccupancy@nationalhighways.co.uk

North West: NWnetworkoccupancy@nationalhighways.co.uk 

South East: SEnetworkoccupancy@nationalhighways.co.uk 

South West: SWnetworkoccupancy@nationalhighways.co.uk 

Yorkshire and North East: YNEnetworkoccupancy@nationalhighways.co.uk 

Regional maps

The following maps show the boundaries of our six regions and the roads they contain:


Current and planned works

To support the coordination of network occupancy, we regularly update information relating to carriageway closures on the strategic road network.

You can also find out information regarding our maintenance schemes and major projects here by selecting the region relevant to you.

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