Testing and Investigation for UK Highways and Infrastructure
Highway infrastructure places demanding expectations on the ground, construction materials, pavements, and supporting structures. New road schemes rely on effective quality control throughout construction, while existing roads, bridges, and other assets need accurate condition data to inform maintenance, repair, and renewal.
At CTS, we work with contractors, consultants, highway authorities, utilities, and infrastructure teams across the project lifecycle. Our nationwide laboratory and field capability brings together materials testing, site investigation, pavement investigation, and structural assessment, giving clients access to coordinated technical support for each scheme's requirements.
Challenges Across UK Highway Infrastructure
Highway teams are under increasing pressure to keep networks safe, compliant, and moving while managing ageing assets and complex maintenance programmes.
- Ageing roads, pavements, bridges, and structures
- Increasing vehicle traffic and network demand
- Maintaining safety while minimising disruption
- Meeting changing regulations and specifications
- Managing environmental and material requirements
- Balancing quality maintenance with budget constraints
With reliable information at the core of effective planning, construction, and asset decisions, CTS combines testing, investigation, and technical expertise to help highway teams respond to these challenges across new works, existing assets, and ongoing maintenance programmes.
Our Highways and Infrastructure Services
Highway Materials Testing
Testing of soils, earthworks, aggregates, concrete, asphalt and bituminous materials to support specification compliance and construction quality.
Pavement Investigation
Coring, FWD surveys, visual condition surveys, trial pits, CBR, DCP, and laboratory analysis to investigate pavement construction and condition.
Infrastructure and Bridge Investigation
Intrusive and non-intrusive investigations for bridges, tunnels, viaducts, culverts, and other highway structures, with factual and interpretive reporting.
Utility Coring
Core sampling, measurement, and laboratory testing, along with visual surveys, to evaluate utility reinstatements against applicable SROH and SROR requirements.
Site and Ground Investigation
Assessment of ground conditions, movement, drainage and other site-specific risks, supported by in-situ testing, monitoring, sampling and lab analysis.
On-Site and Mobile Testing
Field-based testing and UKAS-accredited mobile laboratory services for projects requiring responsive access to materials testing during highway construction.
Asphalt and Bituminous Testing for Highways
Asphalt and bituminous materials are widely used across road construction and surfacing, where quality, composition, and installation directly influence performance. CTS provides on-site and lab-based testing to help contractors verify material quality, meet specifications, and maintain appropriate quality control throughout the works.
Our qualified field and laboratory teams examine factors including material composition, density, air voids, laying conditions, and finished surface characteristics. Testing can support new highway and infrastructure construction, resurfacing programmes, routine quality checks, and investigations into existing pavements or suspected failures.
Supporting Compliance Across Highway Works
Street Works UK Protocol
The Street Works UK Material Classification Protocol governs how excavation waste from street and utility works is reviewed, classified, and managed. In force since 1st October 2025, it requires risk assessments, segregation of different waste streams, laboratory validation, and regular reporting to support accurate and consistent waste classification.
At CTS, we support highway authorities, utilities, and contractors with the testing needed to meet these regulations. Our services cover on-site sampling, UKAS-accredited laboratory analysis, waste classification, and clear reporting, helping teams manage excavated materials correctly and hold the evidence mandated under the protocol.
SHW CC 601 (Earthworks)
The Specification for Highway Works (SHW) sets obligations for materials used across highway construction. Following the 2025 update to the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works (MCHW), the earthworks requirements previously associated with Series 600 are now consolidated under SHW CC 601, supported by CP 601 for specification.
Delivering compliant earthworks under SHW 601 depends on reliable testing data, experienced interpretation, and consistent quality assurance throughout the project lifecycle. Our independent materials testing can help your teams confirm suitability, demonstrate compliance, and gain confidence in construction outcomes.
Independent Testing for Better Highway Decisions
Trusted, impartial testing and investigation give highway teams the evidence they need to understand ground conditions, confirm construction quality, assess existing assets, and respond to issues with greater certainty.
Reliable data can support:
- Material suitability and specification compliance
- Construction quality control
- Ground and site assessments
- Pavement and structural condition investigations
- Maintenance, repair, and renewal planning
- Utility reinstatement verification
- Waste classification and environmental compliance
- Early identification of potential defects or performance issues
Quality, Compliance, and Accreditations
Our work is backed by industry-recognised accreditations, reflecting our dedication to maintaining the highest standards across our laboratories, technical services, and site operations. We hold UKAS accreditation ISO/IEC 17025 for applicable laboratory testing activities, alongside additional industry accreditations.
Why Choose CTS?
At CTS, reliability, quality, and compliance are at the centre of everything we do. Our multi-accredited team brings decades of experience delivering professional testing, inspection, and consultancy services across complex highways and infrastructure projects.
Clients choose CTS because we provide:
- Nationwide coverage through our network of laboratories and field teams
- Experienced technicians and technical specialists
- Tailored testing packages aligned to project specifications
- UKAS-accredited laboratory testing services
- Fast, accurate, and reliable results
- Expertise across the full highway construction lifecycle
- Responsive customer service and collaborative project support
Our technical expertise and responsive approach, combined with our commitment to outstanding customer service, make us a trusted partner for a wide range of highways and infrastructure projects throughout the UK.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is highway infrastructure?
Highway infrastructure refers to the physical assets and supporting elements that make up and support the road network, including carriageways, pavements, earthworks, bridges, tunnels, culverts, footways, verges, drainage, and other associated structures. Testing and investigation help project teams understand the materials, construction, and condition of these assets throughout their lifecycle.
Who is responsible for road maintenance in the UK?
Responsibility depends on the location and type of road. In England, National Highways manages motorways and major A-roads within the Strategic Road Network, while local highway authorities maintain most other adopted roads.
Transport Scotland manages Scotland’s trunk roads, the Welsh Government is responsible for motorways and trunk roads in Wales, and the Department for Infrastructure manages the public road network in Northern Ireland. Local authorities maintain most other public roads in Scotland and Wales.
How much do the UK government spend on road maintenance?
Road maintenance spending varies from year to year and is funded through several different programmes. In England, funding is split between local highway authorities, which maintain most local roads, and National Highways, which manages motorways and major A-roads. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own road maintenance budgets and funding arrangements.
Government investment supports activities such as resurfacing, pothole repairs, structural maintenance, drainage improvements, and the renewal of bridges and other highway assets. Funding levels are reviewed periodically in response to infrastructure priorities, asset condition, and wider public spending plans.
What highway and infrastructure materials can CTS test?
At CTS, we test a wide range of materials used in highway and infrastructure construction, including soils, earthworks materials, aggregates, concrete, asphalt and other bituminous materials. We can combine laboratory analysis with on-site testing to support material classification, quality control, specification compliance, and investigations into existing roads.
What is a pavement investigation?
A pavement investigation examines the construction, condition, or structural performance of an existing road or other paved surface. Depending on the information required, CTS can use pavement coring, Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) surveys, visual condition surveys, trial pits, CBR or DCP testing, and laboratory analysis to build a clearer picture of the pavement.
What is utility coring?
Utility coring involves removing and examining core samples from completed road or footway reinstatements after utility works. Measurements, visual observations, and laboratory testing can then determine whether the reinstatement complies with applicable specifications, such as SROH in England and Wales or SROR in Scotland.
Why is asphalt testing used during highway construction?
Asphalt testing gives project teams evidence about the quality, composition, and installation of the material used in a road pavement. Tests can evaluate factors including density, air voids, aggregate grading, binder content, laying temperatures, surface texture, and finished pavement regularity, helping teams demonstrate compliance with the relevant specification.
What is SHW CC 601 testing?
SHW CC 601 is the current earthworks specification within the Specification for Highway Works, replacing the former Series 600 structure following updates to the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works. Testing can analyse properties such as material grading, plasticity, moisture, strength, compaction, and chemistry to help establish whether earthworks materials meet the applicable project requirements.
Can CTS support both new highway construction and existing roads?
Yes. CTS works across new construction, improvement schemes, maintenance, and existing asset investigations. Our services range from ground and materials testing during construction to pavement coring, structural investigations, bridge assessments, utility reinstatement testing, and laboratory analysis for existing highway assets.