Three innovative technologies that promise to improve people’s experiences of roadworks have been selected for trial on England’s motorways and A-roads.
Each company will receive up to £60,000 to take their ideas forward in a competition launched by National Highways and supported by Connected Places Catapult.
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 road worker 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.
One of the goals of the competition was to allow smaller enterprises, which haven’t traditionally had the opportunity to work directly with National Highways and its supply chain, to showcase their ideas and win the chance to take them out on the road network. Earlier this year, 10 finalists received up to £15,000 each to investigate the feasibility of their ideas.
