Highways Agency chief exec to step down

Graham Dalton, chief executive of the Highways Agency, is leaving during summer 2015 after seven years in post.

The Infrastructure Bill, currently going through Parliament, will see the Highways Agency become a Government-owned company, Highways England, responsible for delivering more than 100 new road schemes between now and the end of the next Parliament.

Graham Dalton said: “Highways England, which will come into being in April following Royal Assent of the Government’s Infrastructure Bill, will need a chief executive who can commit to delivering the first roads investment strategy which runs to 2020.”

Colin Matthews, Highways Agency chairman, said: “Graham has led the Highways Agency to the point where we can confidently confront the fresh opportunities and challenges in the Government’s road investment strategy.”

Patrick McLoughlin, secretary of state for transport, said: “A road network that is safe, well-constructed and keeps Britain moving is vital to a growing economy. Graham will be handing over an organisation that has the interests of motorists right at its heart.”