Skip to main content

Arup and Amey to design Australian smart motorway project

Arup, working with Amey, is to deliver the M4 Smart Motorway project, said to be the first of its kind in New South Wales, Australia. The commission includes all technology and civil works, spanning from detailed design through to construction support services.
September 28, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

7942 Arup, working with 6110 Amey, is to deliver the M4 Smart Motorway project, said to be the first of its kind in New South Wales, Australia.

The commission includes all technology and civil works, spanning from detailed design through to construction support services.

The M4 Smart Motorway project will introduce intelligent technology to monitor traffic conditions, manage congestion and respond to incidents in real-time on the existing M4 Western Motorway. The project aims to increase traffic throughput, with a potential reduction of peak travel times by up to 15 minutes and accidents by up to 30 per cent.

The Arup and Amey team was originally formed in England, combining Arup’s technical expertise with Amey’s operational management to win a recent design package of the Smart Motorway Programme on the M1. This considerable international knowledge, combined with both firms' local highways experience, was a significant asset in securing this project.

The local team drew heavily on the knowledge of their UK counterparts, with key international members joining the design team and attending interviews with Roads and Maritime NSW throughout the tender process.

Key features of the project will include additional traffic sensors and CCTV cameras to monitor traffic conditions; and variable message signs, speed limits and lane use signs to be able to adapt to demand.  Ramp signals will assist by managing traffic flow onto the motorway.

Due to be completed in 2020, the project will bring the M4 into a select class of Smart Motorways in Australia, including another recent Arup project, Melbourne’s M1 Monash and Westgate Freeway Upgrade.

Related Content

  • Active traffic management - challenges and benefits
    April 12, 2013
    Minnesota DoT has built one of the most intensive Active Traffic Management (ATM) systems on the road today. Like many ITS deployments, the state has gained benefits but also faces many challenges, as Pete Goldin reports. Smart Lanes is the brand name of Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDoT) ATM system on I-35W in the Twin Cities Metro Area. The original system covered 16 miles of I-35W south of Minneapolis starting in 2009, and was extended by two miles in 2011. Additional ATM equipment was inst
  • Temporary CCTV poses more challenges than permanent installations
    June 12, 2015
    Long-term roadworks pose particular problems for temporary surveillance installations. Converting the hard shoulder to a running lane, either full- or part-time, is the UK Highways Agency’s solution to ease motorway congestion. This is leading to a number of long-term projects where large stretches of the hard shoulder are closed off by temporary concrete barriers and during these roadwork programmes, temporary CCTV cameras are deployed to monitor and record vehicle traffic and workers.
  • Putting the brakes on smart motorways
    February 28, 2022
    The UK government has announced that development of its all-lane running highways is going to be put on hold for another few years to assess safety data. Adam Hill finds out why
  • Bespoke ITS is helping to reduced collisions on America’s rural roads
    October 22, 2014
    David Crawford cherrypicks conference and award highlights Almost 30% of all US citizens live in rural areas or very small communities, and 34 of the 50 states exceed this level in their own populations, with the proportions rising as high as 85%. And although rural routes carry only 35% of all traffic, the accidents that occur on them account for some 54% of all US road traffic accident deaths.