Digital tech to transform NI roads as Minister launches new maintenance strategy

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins is pictured with CEO of Gaist Steve Birdsall as she launches a new Road Maintenance Strategy for consultation.

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has unveiled a major shift in how Northern Ireland’s road network will be maintained in the years ahead, with technology and data-driven decision-making placed at the centre of a newly published draft Road Maintenance Strategy.

The strategy, now open for public consultation, sets out a long-term vision focused on higher-quality maintenance, targeted interventions, and sustainable management of one of the region’s most valuable public assets.

Northern Ireland’s road network comprises more than 25,922km of public roads, 9,700 footways, 5,800 bridges and 290,000 streetlights, collectively valued at an estimated £36 billion.

“A necessity to develop a new approach”

Announcing the consultation, Minister Kimmins said:

“It has become apparent over recent years of the necessity to develop a new approach to how the road network is maintained.”

She stressed that the new strategy seeks to raise standards and ensure investment is used efficiently.

“At the heart of the new strategy is a commitment to raise the standards of maintenance ensuring that interventions are timely and durable.

“We will be targeting our resources where they are needed most and using new technology such as digital surveys to assess road conditions to deliver a sustainable service that meets the future needs of road users.”

First digital road survey underway

The Minister also welcomed the roll-out of the first digital stock-take of the road network, a key component of the proposed strategy. The digital survey, now underway across Northern Ireland, will provide detailed assessments of carriageway and footway conditions.

Highlighting its importance, Minister Kimmins said:

“This survey which is an integral part of the new strategy, will give us detailed condition assessments for carriageways and footways to enable our road maintenance teams to identify areas requiring immediate attention and enable future data-driven investment decisions to be made.

“The use of technology will also support our active travel plans and assist us in the production of carbon management plans in support of the Climate Change Act.”

Encouraging people to take part in shaping the future of the road network, she added:

“I encourage everyone to share their views on this new approach, so that we invest in our infrastructure assets for the wider benefit of all.”

Public consultation now open

The consultation on the draft Road Maintenance Strategy opens today and will remain live until 30 January 2026. Members of the public, organisations and stakeholders can contribute their views via the Department for Infrastructure’s consultation portal.