The A1 through Yorkshire provides a vital link in the strategic network linking Scotland, the north-east and south of England. On some sections the route carries in excess of 100,000 vehicles per day and the UK Government is committed to a major investment of over #500million to ensure that the route is upgraded in order to function effectively in catering for national and regional needs. In December 1998, the Minister for Transport announced that two major A1 schemes in the Targeted Programme of Improvements would be taken forward under the Private Finance/Public Private Partnerships (PFI/PPP) Initiative and that a Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) contract would be tendered for a contract award in 2002/2003. These major schemes are described. The Highways Agency has developed a new arrangement for paying the DBFO Company responsible for managing the route, which reflects current government policy for improving journey time reliability and highway safety. The mechanism is known as the Active Management Payment Mechanism and it will be the first time anywhere that such a mechanism is brought into use to pay for the services and requirements in the DBFO contract. Key Elements of the A1 DBFO Payment Mechanism include congestion management payments where payments are reduced when the average speed of traffic falls below the target average speed. However allowances are made to lessen the impact of reduced traffic speed as flow approaches the deemed capacity of the road. The mechanism also allows for the possibility of flow exceeding deemed capacity. In this circumstance a bonus will be paid to the DBFO Co for traffic travelling above a minimum speed under high flow conditions. The A1 DBFO Payment Mechanism also includes a comprehensive safety performance adjustment. The mechanism is based on the safety record of the whole project road as measured by personal injury accidents. For the covering abstract see ITRD E126595.
Abstract