West Sussex County Council
Highway term maintenance
VolkerHighways is responsible for planned, responsive and emergency highway maintenance and improvement activities across West Sussex County Council.
As we reflect on our achievements from April 2025 to March 2026, we're proud of the impact we've made together and look forward to building on this success in the years ahead. Here's a snapshot of the journey so far and a look at what the future holds.
What we do
Working closely with West Sussex County Council, we are responsible for repairing and maintaining 4,023km of highway including rural and urban roads.
From proactive maintenance to rapid response repairs, our services cover structures, footways, winter gritting, patching, resurfacing and the upkeep of road signs, markings and verges.
Our community
Sustainability and biodiversity are at the heart of everything we do. Across every work stream, we’re committed to delivering long-term environmental benefits alongside essential infrastructure services.
This goes side by side of our social value delivery, ensuring we always bring meaningful benefit to the local area. With over £12m in social value generated in year one, we’ve set a strong benchmark.
We will expand our work with local job centres, strengthen pathways for individuals from our local Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) partners, and build on the success of county wide engagement initiatives such as the Road Safety Week.
Step into Highways
Our Step into Highways programme is designed to provide individuals with a practical and engaging introduction to the highways industry. Working alongside Chichester and Worthing DWP, Chichester College, and other local educational institutions, we regularly host three-hour sessions designed to connect with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and offer a real-life insight into our business and the wider construction industry. The individuals are given insight into roles available, career pathways, practical advice including CV writing tips and mock interview practice to help prepare them for future opportunities, as well as a depot tour.
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO)
In 2025, our West Sussex contract swapped to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel for our fleet, contributing significantly to our carbon reduction performance. Thanks to these efforts, across all our contracts, we procured just under 130,000 litres of HVO across our contracts, achieving up to a 90% reduction in fuel-related emissions compared with traditional diesel.
HMP Ford
Our team has established a successful partnership with HMP Ford, an open prison, supporting prisoners as they prepare to reintegrate into the community.
Through this partnership, we have delivered employment fairs, CV writing workshops and mock interview sessions, while also developing a bespoke training programme designed to help individuals transition into careers within the construction and highways industry. The initiative has already led to two prisoners securing employment with VolkerHighways through the Release on Temporary Licence scheme, providing valuable work experience, skills development and a pathway into long-term employment.
Road Safety
As part of our VolkerHighways legacy piece, the West Sussex team regularly deliver road safety assemblies to Primary School pupils reinforcing important road safety messages. These engaging sessions are brought to life by our road safety mascots, Kerby and Amber, who help make learning both memorable and fun.
In 2025, the team launched a county-wide road safety mascot design competition, engaging more than 200 primary schools across West Sussex. The initiative captured the imagination of hundreds of pupils, with Sally the Stop Sign crowned as the county’s newest road safety mascot. During Road Safety Week alone, the team visited seven primary schools and a local Cub group, delivering vital road safety education to more than 2,000 children.
Our impact
Highway Rangers
As part of a nine month trial to smarten-up West Sussex to create cleaner and better-maintained streets, we have launched Highway Rangers. Highway Rangers will carry out small-scale street scene improvement works identified by local highways teams working with county councillors, parish and town councils and community groups. The trial will help assess the programme’s impact and determine whether it could be expanded in the future.
Gatwick Airport
What started as 10 planned pothole repairs on the southbound A24 near Gatwick Airport became a highly successful overnight operation, with our team completing 60 repairs in a single closure.
Through careful planning, close collaboration with Gatwick Airport, our client, VolkerTraffic Management and a focus on keeping disruption to a minimum, we maximised the closure window to deliver significantly more work than originally planned. Client inspectors on site identified additional repairs throughout the night, allowing the team to make the most of the opportunity and provide exceptional value.