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Whole life cost and carbon emission considerations in highway ironwork

26 March 2026
Paul Thompson
Paul Thompson

Technical Specification and Sustainability Manager

 

Why it matters now more than ever

Across the UK, the pressure on highways budgets and infrastructure maintenance has never been greater. Local authorities are dealing with ageing assets, rising construction costs and growing expectations around sustainability. At the same time, road users are increasingly frustrated by disruption caused by repeated roadworks and temporary repairs.

In response, both industry and government are beginning to shift their approach. The Department for Transport is increasingly encouraging a more preventative, risk-based approach to highway maintenance - focusing on managing assets over their whole lifecycle to prevent failures, rather than simply reacting once problems appear.

This is why the conversation is moving away from upfront price and towards whole life cost and whole life carbon. The question is no longer just “How much does this product cost today?” but “How much will this asset cost over its entire life?”

For access covers, gully gratings and other ironwork installed within the highway network, this shift in thinking is particularly important.

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The cost of getting it wrong

The latest research into the condition of the UK’s road network paints a concerning picture. The backlog of carriageway repairs across England and Wales now runs into the tens of billions of pounds and take many years to complete, with many authorities reporting that road conditions are continuing to decline rather than improve. 

At the same time, the country’s pothole problem continues to escalate. Billions are spent each year on reactive maintenance, with millions of potholes filled annually. However, many of these repairs are temporary, creating a cycle of repeated interventions that increase both costs and carbon emissions over time. 

While potholes are often viewed purely as a surface issue, the reality is more complex. The performance of road ironwork can  contribute to the deterioration of the surrounding carriageway. When poorly designed and installed manhole covers or gully gratings move, rock or settle, the surrounding asphalt can begin to crack and fail, accelerating surface damage and creating the conditions for potholes to develop. 

This is where whole life thinking and a right first time approach becomes critical. 

Read our potholes whitepaper

Designing infrastructure for long-term performance

Access covers and gully gratings are safety critical components of the highway network. They must withstand heavy traffic loads, environmental exposure and constant vibration over many years. 

Failures rarely occur because the ironwork itself. Instead, research into street ironwork performance shows that many failures are caused by issues such as poor installation techniques, and incorrect materials used to install them which leads to eventual bedding failure, instability of the frame or deterioration of the surrounding road surface  

By addressing these failure mechanisms at an early stage, it is possible to significantly extend the life of the installation and reduce the need for repeat interventions. 

Our ductile iron access solutions are engineered with this long-term performance in mind. Products across our key ranges such as Unite™ and Highway incorporate features that improve, stability and overall performance, helping to reduce movement and minimise stress on the surrounding carriageway. Our products are Kitemarked to BS EN 124 and exceed the performance requirements expected for chamber tops and gully tops used within trafficked environments.  By focusing on durability and stability rather than simply reducing material weight or cost, we help create installations that last longer and reduce reinstatement frequency and repairs over their lifetime. 

Unite Range Highway Range

Reducing failures at installation stage

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Whole life cost is not influenced by product design alone. The quality of the installation and the materials used also play a major role in long-term performance. 

Even a well-designed cover can fail prematurely if the bedding or installation process is compromised. Poor installation can lead to movement within the frame, which quickly transfers stress into the surrounding asphalt and initiates surface cracking and eventual failure. 

One of the most critical, and often overlooked, elements of a successful installation is the bedding mortar. Traditional materials are not always suited to the demanding conditions found in highway environments, where installations must withstand high loads, vibration and rapid construction programmes. 

Modern mortars such as UniPak are specifically engineered for this environment. With high compressive strength and rapid curing properties, they are designed to support ironwork installations in a way that traditional materials cannot. Faster curing is not only about reopening the road sooner. It also allows the mortar to achieve its structural strength quickly, reducing the risk of unseen damage to the installation during construction activities such as compaction, which can otherwise compromise the foundation of the installation before the works are even complete. 

Alongside this, our Pulse solution focuses on reducing installation failure and improving consistency on site. By supporting more reliable installations, Pulse helps reduce the likelihood of early movement and the expensive remedial works that follow. 

This approach does more than improve performance. By reducing failures and repeat interventions, it also helps minimise disruption, with fewer road closures, less traffic management and fewer return visits to site. 

UniPak Mortar

The link between cost and carbon

Whole life cost and carbon emissions are closely connected.

Every time ironwork fails and requires replacement or repair, the environmental impact extends far beyond the new materials used. Excavation equipment, asphalt production, traffic management and transportation all contribute to the carbon footprint of the repair.

Reducing the frequency of interventions therefore has a positive impact on both financial and environmental performance.A durable installation that remains stable for decades will produce far less carbon over its lifetime than one that requires multiple repairs or replacements. 

Understanding the carbon impact of infrastructure also begins at the point of specification. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) allow specifiers to see the embedded carbon associated with ironwork products before they are selected. By providing independently verified lifecycle data, EPDs give engineers and asset owners the transparency they need to make more informed, sustainable choices. 

This is why asset resilience should be viewed as part of a sustainability strategy. Designing products that last longer, perform reliably and minimise disruption helps reduce emissions across the entire lifecycle of the asset. For more information on the environmental performance of our ductile iron products, visit our Environmental Product Declarations page. 

View our EPD's

A long-term approach to infrastructure

The challenges facing the UK’s road network are unlikely to disappear in the near future. Maintenance backlogs, funding pressures and sustainability targets will continue to shape how infrastructure is designed and maintained. 

In this environment, whole life cost and whole life carbon must become central to specification decisions. 

By focusing on durability, installation quality and protection during construction, we help ensure that access covers and gully gratings perform reliably throughout their service life. The result is infrastructure that requires fewer repairs, generates less disruption and produces lower carbon emissions over time. 

For those responsible for designing, installing and maintaining the UK’s roads, that long-term approach is not just beneficial. It is essential. 

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