The Highways Department which evolved from the Highways Office of the former Engineering Development Department was established on 1 June 1986. It is responsible for planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the public road system. The department is also responsible for planning and facilitating the implementation of the railway networks. The department's annual expenditure for the financial year 2014/15 was HK$39,940 million, of which HK$976 million was for road and public lighting maintenance and HK$38,964 million for major highway construction. The budget for the 2015/16 financial year is HK$39,555 million.
The Highways Department has a staff establishment of close to 520 professionals and 1,600 staff in other grades. The department consists of the Headquarters; two Regional Offices, namely Urban and the New Territories Regions; a Major Works Project Management Office; a HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge HK Project Management Office and a Railway Development Office.
