Skip to main content

UK port installs Swarco traffic management

FM Conway, the main contractor for the traffic management improvement scheme at the Port of Dover, has awarded Swarco the contract to install 15 variable message signs as part of a US$123 million (£85 million) capital investment programme to better manage and control vehicles through a new freight holding facility to remove more than 4km of queuing traffic from Kent’s highways. Two signs are used to direct heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) into Customs or the holding facility, depending on the quantity of tra
May 18, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
FM Conway, the main contractor for the traffic management improvement scheme at the Port of Dover, has awarded 129 Swarco the contract to install 15 variable message signs as part of a US$123 million (£85 million) capital investment programme to better manage and control vehicles through a new freight holding facility to remove more than 4km of queuing traffic from Kent’s highways.

Two signs are used to direct heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) into Customs or the holding facility, depending on the quantity of traffic; the remainder are installed on a 57.5 metre-long gantry at the start of the holding facility, giving drivers clear information about which lane to enter.

The Port has created a 13-lane holding zone catering for 220 outbound HGVs, limiting the need for Dover Traffic Access Protocol, a ‘rolling road’ HGV queuing system on the A20, and greatly reducing traffic and delays in Dover itself.

The signs, which include over 160,000 individual LEDs, were required to meet the Port’s exacting light emission standards to cater for its 24/7 freight needs and reduce light pollution at night.

As a part of the contract, Swarco also installed its management software, giving the operator 12 settings for different scenarios; 65 traffic detection sensors with count in/out capability; and barriers, operated by a traffic light system, that mark the holding facility’s end.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Swarco advanced parking guidance system now open at Houston Hobby Airport
    November 27, 2015
    Swarco Traffic Americas’ advanced parking guidance system (PGS) partially opened at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas in time for the 2015 holiday season. Construction of the new multilevel garage, which began in 2014, was accelerated at the request of Houston Airport Systems to open 600 parking spaces in the new garage before the 2015 Thanksgiving holiday. Swarco collaborated with SpawGlass Contractors, the general contractor, to achieve this aggressive schedule. The PGS employs single spa
  • Swarco champions smart mobility management
    September 16, 2021
    Swarco is looking forward to being back at an in-person event after 18 months of pandemic-related exhibition lockdown
  • McCain parking guidance system acquired by Swarco
    May 10, 2013
    Swarco Traffic Americas has acquired the McCain parking business unit, which uses LED signs, single space indicators and software to provide real-time information to motorists and parking operators. The acquisition enables Swarco to further broaden its product offering in the United States with technology and project references that perfectly align with the company’s standards. McCain will continue to produce all of Swarco’s hardware through its contract manufacturing division that offers turnkey manufactur
  • Report analyses multiple ITS projects to highlight cost and benefits
    March 16, 2015
    Every year in America cost benefit analysis is carried out on dozens of ITS installations and pilot studies and the findings, along with the lessons learned, are entered into the Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) web-based ITS Knowledge Resources database. This database holds more than 1,600 reports and periodically the USDOT reviews the material on file to draw conclusions from this wider body of evidence. It has just published one such review ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Re