Highways England trials electric roadworks vehicles

Highways England is trialling two electric powered roadworks vehicles with the aim of improving air quality along motorways and major A roads. One vehicle is being used across the East Midlands and the other on a major scheme on the A14 in the east of England. Martin Bolt, Highways England’s corporate group leader, operations directorate (Midlands) says: “We are actively exploring opportunities to improve air quality for those travelling on, or living near, our roads as well as reduce exposure for road wo
July 2, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

8101 Highways England is trialling two electric powered roadworks vehicles with the aim of improving air quality along motorways and major A roads.

One vehicle is being used across the East Midlands and the other on a major scheme on the A14 in the east of England.

Martin Bolt, Highways England’s corporate group leader, operations directorate (Midlands) says: “We are actively exploring opportunities to improve air quality for those travelling on, or living near, our roads as well as reduce exposure for road workers. These vehicles help with that and also reduce noise for nearby residents.”

Further measures include the installation of a barrier alongside the M1 in South Yorkshire to help improve air quality for the local community and the deployment of electric charge points on or near the motorway network.

The five-month project is being funded by Highways England’s £75 million allocation for air quality improvements.

Highways England is now working with H W Martin (Traffic Management) to trial both vehicles in tasks such as traffic management, maintenance operations and the installation and removal of lane closures for construction work. Experts from the University of Bath will collect and analyse data to determine for which tasks the vehicles are best suited.

Ryan Wood, technical manager for H W Martin, says: “Undertaking these trials will allow us to understand first-hand how the vehicles perform while carrying out different tasks and how current charging infrastructure provides a network for their use.”

The trial will be followed by a post-trial report, the results of which are expected to inform future work around assessing how charging infrastructure is deployed for major projects and looking at the future potential for using electric roadworks vehicles.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Major road projects to improve journeys in Merseyside and Cheshire
    September 1, 2017
    Two major new road schemes worth more than US$388 million (£300 million) are set to cut congestion and improve journey times for hundreds of thousands of drivers in Merseyside and Cheshire, UK. Highways England has set out its preferred options for upgrading the key route to the Port of Liverpool and creating a new junction on the M56 near Runcorn following public consultations earlier this year.
    Read More
  • Smarter motorway for West Yorkshire
    February 2, 2016
    Drivers on the M1 near Wakefield will benefit from reduced congestion and improved journey times after the final phase of a new US$172 million smart motorway went live. The Highways England scheme along a seven-mile stretch of motorway between junction 39 and junction 42 is the first all lane running motorway in the north, where the hard shoulder has been permanently converted to an extra lane. The smart motorway uses the latest technology to monitor traffic levels and variable speed limits on overhea
    Read More
  • Utah DoT and Panasonic get connected
    August 30, 2019
    Utah is making smart roadways a priority and has entered a partnership with Panasonic to move things forward. Adam Hill asks Utah DoT to outline where the state is heading Utah Department of Transportation (UDoT) has form when it comes to connectivity. It built the first operational connected vehicle corridor in the US – and has now joined up with Panasonic to extend its operation. “When we work with technology providers, we are working together to get that win-win,” says Carlos Braceras, UDoT executi
    Read More
  • London trials new Ford plug-in hybrid vans
    January 23, 2017
    Automaker Ford is launching a multi-million pound project designed to help improve air quality in London, as it accelerates its electrification plans with 13 new global electrified vehicles scheduled for introduction in the next five years. The project, supported by Transport for London, features a 12-month trial of 20 new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Transit Custom vans that are said to reduce local emissions by running solely on electric power for the majority of city trips such as deliveries or maintenance w
    Read More

Highlighted Content