Delays for drivers and cost of roadworks cut by new technology

A two-month trial of new technology designed to cut delays caused by roadworks has been declared a success by National Highways.

Trialled as part of a National Highways competition, the time-saving technology resulted in 2,100 fewer journeys being delayed on the M6.

It also saved an estimated £45,000 by consolidating work and enabling the cancellation of one in 28 shifts.

Developed by Alchera Technologies, it was one of three finalists in the 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 import aspect of planning roadworks as numbers must be at an appropriate rate to enable road crews to work safely, while also considering the impact on road users including freight services.

Alchera used artificial intelligence to generate the most favourable 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 optimised traffic management, reduced road closures and saved taxpayers’ money, said National Highways.

Working with Costain, this system was successfully put to the test on the M6 between junctions 21a and 23. Alchera estimates that use of the technology across all of National Highways’ roads could reduce the number of delayed journeys by 900,000 and save the public purse £18.2 million.

The other two winners trialling their ideas are Robok, also based in Cambridge, which uses AI-powered computer vision technology to analyse CCTV footage offering a better understanding of both road user and roadworker behaviour 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.

WordNerds, meanwhile, brought together more than 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.”

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.

Alchera’s CEO, Anna Jordan, said: “We’re passionate about making better use of mobility data to drive intelligent decision making and wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity to work with National Highways to demonstrate how road user experience can be improved, while still reducing costs.

“The trial has clearly evidenced how our software can be used to reduce the delays caused by roadworks, while also ensuring that works are carried out in the most cost-effective way.

“We look forward to continuing work with National Highways and their contractors to influence positive change on the rest of the strategic road network.”

Connected Places Catapult’s executive director of SME development and academic engagement, Alex Weedon, added: “I’m very proud of what Alchera Technologies has achieved so far in demonstrating how its system can be used to good effect to reduce delays for motorists and keep down the costs associated with roadworks.

“All three of the small companies taking part in the competition and supported by National Highways and Connected Places Catapult have shown great ideas with huge potential.

“This multi-phase approach taken by National Highways is really visionary – it recognises that innovations need to be demonstrated and then trialled in live environments and this programme is genuinely making that route to market easier.”