Skip to main content

Technology trial a first for roads scheme

A US$124.8 million (£88.4 million) project to upgrade access to one of the UK’s busiest ports is trialling the use of technology to improve the monitoring of highway equipment located along the road, such as street lighting and drainage, to aid future maintenance. Contractors working on the A160 Port of Immingham improvement scheme are using the RedBite asset tool, developed by a Cambridge-based company, to tag Highways England owned assets. RedBite is a spin-out from the University of Cambridge and a m
April 7, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
A US$124.8 million (£88.4 million) project to upgrade access to one of the UK’s busiest ports is trialling the use of technology to improve the monitoring of highway equipment located along the road, such as street lighting and drainage, to aid future maintenance.

Contractors working on the A160 Port of Immingham improvement scheme are using the RedBite asset tool, developed by a Cambridge-based company, to tag 8101 Highways England owned assets. RedBite is a spin-out from the University of Cambridge and a member of the HyperCat Consortium. The technology uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, Quick Response (QR) Codes and GPS tags.

Once the product is tagged, the data is securely transmitted to a webpage where all data relating to that piece of equipment or asset is recorded for future use.

This is said to be the first time the technology has been used on a road project.  Items which have been tagged so far along the A160 include lighting columns, signs, pavements, culverts and gullies.

The Port of Immingham is the UK’s largest port by tonnage and handles up to 55 million tonnes of goods every year, including nearly 20 million tonnes of oil and 10 million tonnes of coal.

The scheme will see a three-mile section of the A160 between the A180 and the Port of Immingham upgraded to a dual carriageway along its entire length.

Once completed, traffic congestion should be reduced, journey times become more reliable, and safety improved for road users and the local community. There will also be improved access to the Port of Immingham and the surrounding area.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Smart Cities: a journey, not a destination
    June 30, 2021
    As technologies evolve, cities of the future should prepare for expansion by establishing scal­able systems, suggest Benjamin Ho and James Birdsall of Parsons
  • Siemens technology installed on UK connected vehicles project
    November 14, 2016
    Siemens’ Sapphire journey time measurement system for traffic monitoring using Bluetooth technology is being installed on three main corridors into the centre of Coventry as part of a new UK project to assess how connected vehicles interact on key corridors leading into the city centre from the national road network. Led by Coventry City Council, the intelligent variable message systems (iVMS) project will draw expertise from Coventry University’s Centre for Mobility and Transport in collaboration with
  • Cofiroute USA to provide toll services for Texas regional authorities
    March 16, 2018
    The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) and North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority have selected Cofiroute USA (Cofiroute), a Vinci Highways subsidiary, to deliver toll services that will help them provide a better service for drivers. The five-year contract represents an annual volume of approximately 23 million transactions. Under the agreement, Cofiroute will provide pay by mail processing, collections and customer services on five motorways and expressways in Austin and Tyler. It a
  • Welcome to Digital, Free Flow Tolling
    April 17, 2024
    Emovis’ work in the Netherlands demonstrates many benefits of free flow tolling as Benoît Rossi, director of business development at Emovis, an Abertis-owned entity, highlights