New technology trial reduces motorway delays for drivers

National Highways has released findings from a trial of new technology developed to help ease the pain of roadworks for road users.

The trial enabled 2,100 fewer journeys being delayed on the M6 in a two-month trial.

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

The time-saving technology, developed by Alchera Technologies, 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, whilst also considering the impact on road users including freight services.

The trial of the technology developed by Cambridge-based 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, reducing road closures and saving taxpayers money.

Working with Costain, this system was successfully put to the test on the M6 between junctions 21a and 23 in the North West. As a result, 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 £18.2m.

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.”