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 positive road user 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.
The other two winners trialling their ideas are:
- Robok, also based in Cambridge, 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, of Gateshead, 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, WordNerds increased customer understanding leading to 16 major actions, from auditing signage issues to exploring EV charging options to improving communications, based on customer comments.