UK major road set to become internet-connected highway

A partnership of the UK’s department for Transport (DfT), British telecom (BT) and Cambridge-based wireless firm Neul is working on a project to transform the A14 between Felixstowe and Birmingham into the country’s first internet-connected road. The smart road, which aims to prepare the country for future technology from wireless toll chargers to automated cars, will include a network of sensors along an eighty-kilometre stretch, with data transmitted over white space, temporarily unused gaps in the dig
October 4, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A partnership of the UK’s 1837 Department for Transport (DfT), British telecom (1974 BT) and Cambridge-based wireless firm Neul is working on a project to transform the A14 between Felixstowe and Birmingham into the country’s first internet-connected road.

The smart road, which aims to prepare the country for future technology from wireless toll chargers to automated cars, will include a network of sensors along an eighty-kilometre stretch, with data transmitted over white space, temporarily unused gaps in the digital terrestrial TV spectrum.

Independent communications regulator Ofcom has approved the project; according to the regulator, "sensors in cars and on the roads monitor the build-up of congestions and wirelessly send this information to a central traffic control system, which automatically imposes variable speed limits that smooth the flow of traffic. This system could also communicate directly with cars, directing them along diverted routes to avoid the congestion and even managing their speed."

In addition, the 1841 UK Highways Agency is planning to invest about US$2.4 billion to improve the A14, part of which may be tolled, which it hopes will tackle congestion and issues with journey time reliability.
Networking & Communication Systems Urban Traffic Control Charging, Tolling & RUC

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • The UK’s busiest crossing adopts free flow charging
    April 30, 2015
    Colin Sowman looks at the transition to free-flow charging on the Dartford Crossing, a notorious congestion blackspot on the UK motorway network. The Dartford Crossing, where London’s orbital M25 motorway crosses the lower reaches of the River Thames 32km (20 miles) to the east of Central London, has long been a major source of congestion. Now, to alleviate the congestion caused by some 50 million crossings per year, the Highways Agency has adopted a free-flow charging system - but the Crossing’s location a
    Read More
  • Manchester orbital route to become ‘smart motorway’
    June 19, 2014
    Four companies, Balfour Beatty, together with Costain, Carillion and a BAM Nuttall Morgan Sindall joint venture, have been awarded the contract to upgrade a 17 mile stretch of the M60 and M62 to a ‘smart motorway’. The US$313 million upgrade, for the UK Highways Agency, aims to increase capacity, reduce congestion and shorten journey times for motorists. The M60 between junctions 8 and 12 will be upgraded to a controlled motorway with traffic flows managed by technology interventions responsive to the
    Read More
  • Israel aspires to ITS-led future
    May 29, 2013
    Shay Soffer, Chief Scientist with the Israel National Road Safety Authority, talks to Jason Barnes about his country’s current ITS outlook and how he sees this developing in the future. Israel ranks alongside countries such as the US and France in the road safety stakes, with an average 7.1 deaths per billion kilometres driven. But at that point the similarities end, as the country’s overriding issue is pedestrian safety. This is driven by several factors, including being a relatively small country where pe
    Read More
  • Rwanda's mobility plan in seven junctions
    June 16, 2025
    ITS improvements at just seven intersections could be the key to improving transportation in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali: Shem Oirere reports from East Africa
    Read More

Highlighted Content