Skip to main content

New technology set to transform England’s motorways

A new high-tech intelligent transport system is set to transform the way traffic is managed on England’s motorways and major A roads. Highways England has awarded a US$46 million contract to Austria-based firm Kapsch TrafficCom to install the system at its regional control centre in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, which will then be rolled out to the rest of the country. The new technology will integrate a wide range of functions and manage the existing large quantity of different roadside devices. The sys
October 12, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
A new high-tech intelligent transport system is set to transform the way traffic is managed on England’s motorways and major A roads.

8101 Highways England has awarded a US$46 million contract to Austria-based firm 4984 Kapsch TrafficCom to install the system at its regional control centre in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, which will then be rolled out to the rest of the country.

The new technology will integrate a wide range of functions and manage the existing large quantity of different roadside devices. The system is also designed to be future proof by being able to incorporate future technology.

Neil Widdop, services procurement team leader at Highways England, said: “The new system will allow us to improve our operational efficiencies through use of a modern, national, integrated system. As we improve our operational efficiency, we can expect road users to benefit from quicker responses to incidents leading to improved safety and greater convenience for drivers.”

Related Content

  • Section of M6 motorway to be made ‘smart’
    November 1, 2013
    A section of the M6 motorway in the UK between junctions 10a and 13 is to be upgraded to a smart (managed) motorway with all-lane running. This section of the motorway is a major strategic route, carrying around 120,000 vehicles per day.
  • On-road and in-vehicle are not in competition
    May 18, 2018
    The integrity and accuracy of data that can be verified by weigh-in-motion technology has been improving for decades – and the range of WIM applications is increasing at a tremendous pace. Chris Koniditsiotis, president of the International Society for Weigh-in-Motion (ISWIM) and CEO of Transport Certification Australia (TCA), began his career in 1985 as a pavements engineer. “When I joined this portfolio, the integrity, accuracy, and sampling frequency of mass information delivered at best an estimate, us
  • Highways England showcases progress on high tech corridor project
    October 12, 2018
    Highways England is leading a project to establish a high tech corridor on the A2/M2 in Kent which will allow specially-equipped vehicles to interact with roadside infrastructure. As part of the initiative, Highways England hosted a week-long Testfest event in Chatham, Kent, this week, showing how test vehicles receive information on road conditions, road works and the time left for traffic lights to change to green via a wireless network. Jo White, head of Highways England’s intelligent transport system
  • Debating a cost-effective means of road user charging
    July 20, 2012
    Does GPS/GNSS-based technology provide a cost-effective means of charging or tolling on a national or international level, or are the issues pertaining to effective enforcement an obstacle. Here, leading equipment manufacturers debate the issue.