Devon County Council manages the largest local highway network in England, extending to over 13,000 km and serving communities, businesses and visitors across a predominantly rural county.
The network includes:
- Carriageways: 13,131 km
- Footways: 2,810 km
- Cycleways: 1,049 km
- Bridges and structures: 4,834
- Street lighting assets: 92,227
- Traffic signals: 400
- Drainage gullies: 205,432
The network also includes many other assets that help keep people moving safely and efficiently.
Maintaining a network of this scale presents significant challenges. Much of Devon’s highway network comprises rural roads that provide essential access for residents, businesses and emergency services but are costly to inspect and maintain due to their extent and geographic spread.
Traffic growth, seasonal tourism and increasing demand created by new development place additional pressure on the network. Devon also manages a large number of bridges and structures, many of which require specialist maintenance and investment.
Weather-related impacts, including prolonged heavy rainfall, flooding, coastal conditions and storm events, can accelerate deterioration and increase maintenance needs. These challenges require a risk-based, asset management approach to help ensure investment is targeted where it delivers the greatest benefit to network safety, resilience and long-term value.
The scale, rural nature and geographic diversity of the network create unique maintenance challenges not faced by many authorities. Despite this, Devon continues to prioritise preventative maintenance and asset management-led investment to maximise long-term value.