Road Investment Strategy 3

Communications And Engagement Best Practice

Background

The Department for Transport is investing £347 million in the Third Road Investment Strategy (RIS 3) which covers the period 2025-2030

With National Highways’ Communications and Engagement team, we direct supplier teams in their communications and stakeholder engagement, across a nationwide pipeline of over 30 schemes, as part of this significant investment in road infrastructure.

We provide the link between National Highways and the supplier project teams. We ensure best practice across the Pipeline of schemes in the North, South and East of the country.

We provide the link between National Highways and the supplier project teams. We ensure best practice across the pipeline of schemes in the North, South and East of the country.

• We aid projects in negotiating complex stakeholder environments, including local councils, business owners, landowners and campaign groups. We ensure best practice management and engagement with these stakeholders, to protect National Highways’ reputation and progression of the schemes in line with DfT expectations.

• We drive optimum MP engagement across the Pipeline, working to ensure coordination across National Highways’ portfolio.

We are trusted advisers to the National Highways Complex Infrastructure Programme team

• We advise on messaging into the Department for Transport and overarching messages to each project’s key external stakeholders

• We play a strategic role; identifying successes and opportunities, tracking trends across the Pipeline and providing input on how to improve project delivery

We develop guidance for all communications and engagement products, and ensure their effective delivery

We work with the supplier project teams to align strategies and collateral with National Highways’ corporate objectives, values and voice.

Road Investment Strategy 3

RIS 3 looks at route strategies and future schemes to improve England’s Strategic Road Network.

RIS 3 will play a critical role in enabling economic growth across the country by increasing productivity, allowing businesses to transport goods to customers and providing high quality links to jobs and suppliers throughout the country.

With a Pipeline of more than 30 major individual projects, the support of stakeholders is integral to the success of RIS 3. We develop, with supplier teams, tailored stakeholder engagement to work through opposition, garner support and mobilise advocates.

RIS 3 will also help government in delivering wider environmental strategies, including their 25-year environment plan, Road to Zero strategy, Clean air strategy 2019 and Air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the UK.

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