Why the ‘golden thread’ matters for roadbuilding
Amid economic uncertainty, rising costs and increasing environmental pressure, it has never been more important for road-building companies to have a clear view of their operations, from equipment and materials to energy and resources.
But this is no easy feat. Even as digitalisation gathers pace, operators must navigate a complex mix of ageing assets, established processes and new technologies, making it difficult to know where to start.
Dr Paul Phillips, Technical Director at Associated Asphalt explores why the ‘golden thread’ of information being implemented in the built environment could provide, in part, the answer.
Among its critical findings, the 2018 Hackitt Report highlighted how a highly fragmented construction approach, with most teams working in deeply entrenched silos, had contributed to a number of systemic building safety failures. Information was often lost as projects moved between clients, architects, contractors and sub-contractors, while key data was scattered across different teams and platforms, making it difficult to access up-to-date, comprehensive building information. Put bluntly, without a cohesive whole, it was all too easy for standards to slip through the cracks.
In response, government reforms introduced the ‘golden thread’ requirement as part of wider building safety changes. This demands a continuous digital record of a building’s design, materials, decisions and changes, accessible to all stakeholders to ensure safety, traceability and accountability throughout its lifecycle.
The result is more than a regulatory shake-up but rather a cultural shift in construction. For decades, construction projects have been shaped by fragmented communication, limited knowledge sharing and siloed working. Beyond inefficiency, this disjointed approach has left the sector vulnerable to miscommunication, misinterpretation and systematic failure.
This new way of working addresses those issues by redefining transparency, accountability and traceability through a unified ‘big picture’ approach which, in effect, is redefining how infrastructure is designed, delivered and maintained.
So why does this matter for roadbuilding? While highways and roads, of course, are a very different type of asset, they are not immune to the same challenges of fragmented oversight, inconsistent data and limited lifecycle visibility. Arguably then, as we see it, the sector could benefit vastly from a similar type of approach.
Hurdles ahead
To understand the potential benefits of a golden thread in roadbuilding, it’s important to first consider the current challenges.
Only recently, the Department for Transport (DfT) acknowledged that local road condition data is poor and outdated, leaving significant gaps in understanding network quality. While visibility across the Strategic Road Network (SRN) is better, data gaps still occur due to sensor failures, while concerns remain around consistency and comparability as multiple systems and methods are used.
Of course, this is not about assigning blame. The UK road network is one of the most complex in the world, shaped by high demand, historic development and infrastructure that was never designed for today’s traffic volumes. Ongoing rescheduling pressures and funding constraints add further complexity. But it does highlight that there is significant scope to improve how road infrastructure is monitored, maintained and managed.
The bigger picture
Of course, most operators will already understand the importance of investing in digitalisation including future-proof technology platforms and the like. But there is an opportunity to take it one step further.
Take a look at any one of a number of leading industries – manufacturing, aerospace, advanced engineering – and a common theme emerges. Decisions are increasingly driven by high-quality, real-time data. Components are tracked, performance is monitored continuously and maintenance is planned using integrated digital systems that link design intent with operational reality.
Applied to roadbuilding this type of approach could be transformative. Imagine if, akin to the ‘golden thread’ model, we were able to carry a continuous, digital record of an asset from design through construction and into maintenance, capturing not just what was built, but how, with what materials, under what conditions and how it has performed over time.
Executed well, this would enable a more intelligent, efficient and sustainable approach to asset management. With full lifecycle visibility, the road network could be managed as a connected system rather than a series of isolated interventions, supporting better planning, more targeted maintenance, and clearer insight into performance and carbon impact.
It would also help bring sustainability strategies to life. More than ever, operators are under growing pressure to reduce carbon and energy use without compromising the quality, speed or cost of the operation. Better data would make it easier to assess the whole-life performance of different materials and methods, enabling clearer comparison of the long-term savings and benefits of lower-carbon alternatives. With better knowledge extending far beyond the immediate job at hand, decision-making could shift meaningfully, prioritising considered, durable sustainable options over reactive, short-term fixes.
Predictive maintenance is another significant opportunity. In the road-building sector, even relatively short periods of downtime caused by asset or road failure can have significant operational and financial consequences. Greater visibility across an asset’s lifecycle could help operators identify potential issues before they escalate, anticipate recurring failures and better understand performance constraints.
By connecting information on materials, construction conditions, usage and performance, operators could also better predict wear and tear, schedule maintenance before failures occur and ensure the right resources and replacement materials are available when needed. The result would be a shift from fixing problems as they arise to anticipating them, reducing disruption while making every pound spent on road infrastructure work harder.
Common goals
Most of today’s roadbuilding operators share similar goals. They want to reduce carbon emissions, build greater resilience and durability, make installation more efficient and cleaner, and, ideally, shift from reactive to proactive maintenance.
I believe that a more holistic, industry-wide, data-led approach could provide the intelligence needed to achieve all of this and more. Therefore, while construction may have sown the seeds for the ‘golden thread’, I hope the concept ultimately finds its way into roadbuilding too – helping to shape a more connected, data-driven and innovative journey ahead.
Dr Paul Phillips
www.associatedasphalt.biz
Associated Asphalt Contracting Ltd is a privately owned, multi-disciplined contractor specialising in airfields, highways, rail and asphalt production. Founded in 2014, the UK-based business has an established reputation for its flexibility, reliability and assured performance in high-risk environments, with clients including National Highways, Heathrow Airport, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, and the ministry of Defense. Services include contracting teams, material design and material manufacture using bespoke asphalt mixing plants. The company was recently named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list for the second year running.