Three winning ideas are to be trialled with National Highways which will use the latest technology to help ease the pain of roadworks for drivers, businesses and local communities.
National Highways launched its innovation competition to find new ways to improve people’s experiences of roadworks. Earlier this year, 10 finalists received up to £15,000 each to investigate the feasibility of their ideas.
Three of those solutions have now been selected to be trialled in real-life situations on England’s motorways and A-roads network and will each receive up to £60,000 to take their ideas forward.
The three winners are:
Cambridge-based Alchera Technologies which will use AI to improve roadwork planning by better understanding the impacts of different roadworks and road closures ensuring the best option for road users and reduced delays. They will be working with Costain.
Robok, also based in Cambridge, will use 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 will be supported by Balfour Beatty.
WordNerds, of Gateshead, will provide new insights on people’s perception of roadworks using AI powered text-analytics which will help National Highways make evidence-based improvements on planned works. Kier and Costain are supporting this trial.
Working in collaboration with Connected Places Catapult, National Highways launched the competition in a bid to find new or existing technology, products or solutions that can make a positive difference to people’s experience of roadworks.
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