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

  • Feature Test Nt
    July 31, 2014
    David Crawford previews a work zone travel breakthrough. In February 2014, the Port of Long Beach in California launched what it claims is a groundbreaking construction zone navigation aid - LB Bridge mobile app. The app is designed to help drivers during the Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement programme by keeping them up to date on activity and the ensuing traffic diversions when construction starts in summer 2014.
  • Aimsun assesses Spain V2X impact
    June 21, 2022
    An Aimsun project with C-Roads Spain to assess the impact of Day 1 V2X services has been completed: Aimsun senior transportation modeller Laura Torres explains some of the results
  • Mexico’s Durango-Mazatlan highway sets tunnel safety standard
    August 26, 2016
    Mauro Nogarin looks at the management of the longer tunnels on Mexico’s Durango-Mazatlan highway. In recent years the National Infrastructure Fund of Mexico has increased investment in the installation of ITS systems on selected highways to increase road safety. One such major investment is the 230km long Durango-Mazatlan highway which is 12m in width and has an average speed of 110km/h.
  • Boom times for SRL
    October 29, 2021
    SRL also offers the lighter weight Instaboom Lite or use on short duration operations,