Motorways contract 'dragged on'

The scheme provides traffic updates for motorway users

A contract for communications services on England's motorways and major roads took more than twice as long as planned to sort out, MPs have said.

Advice to the Highways Agency on areas such as motorway messages cost �15m - five times more than predicted - the public accounts committee said.

Services provided under the National Road Telecommunications Services scheme include details on jams and delays.

Committee Chairman Edward Leigh said debate had "dragged on" for five years.

'Close eye'

The NRTS project is aimed at giving drivers better information to improve traffic movement.

The committee said the Highways Agency should keep "a close eye on the costs and benefits of the system and associated projects".

In the past, it had "never had a clear idea about the time and cost needed to complete the procurement", the report added.

Mr Leigh, Conservative MP for Gainsborough, said that although the project was delivered on time, the procurement process "dragged on for five years, rather than the two originally expected".

He went on: "Agency staff had no time to check what the advisers were doing to earn their money.

"And the advisers had no performance incentives applied to their work. They ended up costing �15m, five times more than expected at the outset."

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