Norfolk County Council has agreed to adopt a new content management system to improve how planned roadworks and street closures are communicated to residents across the county's 6,200-mile highway network.

The Infrastructure and Development Select Committee approved the Causeway Content Management Module at its meeting on 12 March 2026. The system will provide more detailed, plain-English descriptions of works — including timings, locations and reasons for closures — going beyond what the existing Causeway mapping tool currently offers.

The annual cost of £13,500 for the new module is expected to be covered by income from street works permit fees and Fixed Penalty Notices, meaning no direct cost to the council or local taxpayers. Officers told the committee that future integration with social media platforms may also be possible.

Residents and councillors will need to sign up to receive direct alerts from the new system. Officers confirmed that members would not be notified of all 44,000 individual permits, but would receive advance warning of the most disruptive and significant works in their area through a new member protocol currently being developed.

The committee heard that 75% of all roadworks permits last year were issued to utility companies — with telecoms firms accounting for the majority — rather than the council itself. Around 79 statutory undertakers operate on Norfolk's roads. Officers acknowledged that fibre broadband installation is currently at its most disruptive phase, but activity is expected to decrease once networks are fully built out.

Councillors raised widespread frustration about the quality and timing of roadworks signage. Issues highlighted included signs appearing too early or too late, missing road-closure notices, and unclear diversion routes — particularly for HGV drivers in rural areas who commit to unsuitable roads before realising a closure is ahead.

Officers confirmed that advance warning signs for planned works must legally be in place 14 days before works begin, though this requirement applies only to advance warning signs and not to the red-and-white "road closed ahead" signs placed closer to the closure date. A team of around 35 staff, including a Permit Manager and Street Works Inspectors, monitors compliance and intervenes where signs are missing or misleading.

The council's ability to enforce standards on utility companies is limited, as it relies largely on voluntary agreements rather than statutory powers. Officers told the committee that national lobbying — including from Norfolk — has led the Department for Transport to progress some recommendations from the Transport Select Committee that would give councils greater control over street works. Further updates are expected as that work develops.

The committee also noted that satnav providers such as Google operate independently from the council's own Causeway system. Discussions have been initiated with Google about incorporating more accurate closure data into their mapping, and members asked for this work to be expanded.

The new Street Works Manager will be invited to a future committee meeting to outline her priorities, and a separate report on unplanned roadworks is also expected at a future meeting.