New technology developed to help ease the pain of roadworks for road users and businesses in the UK saw 2,100 fewer journeys being delayed on the M6 in a two-month trial and saved an estimated £45,000 by consolidating work and enabling the cancellation of one in 28 shifts.
The time-saving technology, which was developed by Alchera Technologies, was one of three finalists in a National Highways competition launched to find new ways to improve people’s experiences of roadworks.
A shortlist of 10 finalists was whittled down to three, which were then given the opportunity to trial their products in real-life situations on England’s motorways and A-roads with each receiving £60,000 to take their ideas forward.
Traffic flow levels are an important aspect of planning roadworks as numbers must be at an appropriate rate to enable road crews to work safely, whilst considering the impact on road users, including freight services.
The trial of the technology developed by Cambridge-based Alchera used AI to generate the most favorable works bookings, by using accurate traffic flow predictions and balancing the trade-off between creating financial efficiencies and giving road users the most positive experience. The solution optimized traffic management, reducing road closures and saving taxpayers money.
Working with construction and engineering firm Costain, the system was successfully put to the test on the M6 between junctions 21a and 23 in the Northwest. As a result, Alchera estimates that use of the technology across all National Highways’ roads could reduce the number of delayed journeys by 900,000 and save the public purse £18.2m.
The other two winners trailing their ideas as part of the National Highways competition include Robok and WordNerds.
Robok uses AI-powered computer vision technology to analyze CCTV footage offering a better understanding of both road user and roadworker behavior and helping to improve people’s experiences of roadworks. This trial was supported by Balfour Beatty on the M25 J10/A3 Interchange. Robok processed over 10,000 hours of video footage and successfully enhanced hazard detection capabilities.
Meanwhile, WordNerds brought together over a quarter of a million pieces of textual customer feedback on roadworks and pulled out useful, actionable insights using AI models. Working in partnership with Costain, Kier and Balfour Beatty, the trial led to 16 major actions, from auditing signage issues to exploring EV charging options to improving communications, all based on road user comments.
National Highways executive director for major projects, Nicola Bell, said, “When we launched this competition, our goal was to find new ideas to help reduce the impact of roadworks on road users and people living near works.
“So, it’s fantastic news that we are already starting to see how effective these new innovations can be both in reducing delays and costs. We know roadworks are frustrating for people but they are an essential part of keeping our roads safe and moving so anything we can do to ease the impact of these important works is to be welcomed,” Bell added.
The competition, run in collaboration with Connected Places Catapult, has been funded through National Highways’ Designated Funds. This is ring-fenced funding dedicated to investing in and supporting initiatives that deliver lasting benefits for road users, the environment and communities across England.
