Highway & Network Management

Morocco’s road development programme is continuing with the announcement of plans for new motorway projects and upgrades. The country’s motorway company, ADM, will spend US$366.8 million on building a new motorway link from Berrechid to Tit Mellil and also to add lanes to the Casablanca to Berrechid connection. The latter will help reduce congestion at peak periods and improve journey times for users. New automated tolling systems are also being introduced on the country’s motorway network.

The latest controller and signals system from Siemens, the ST950 Plus+, uses fewer cables and a smaller controller cabinet than other systems. The aim of the Plus+ solution is to offer significant reductions in on-street installation and maintenance time, improved safety and reduce deployment costs compared to conventional methods. In short, it’s easier and faster to install and later maintain, explained Keith Manston, head of product management for Siemens.

The first European asset management framework package to improve decision-making, including cross-border asset management will be available in August 2018. The framework is being developed by AM4INFRA, a two-year Horizon 2020 project that is supported by the Conference of European Directors of Roads (CEDR) and ProRail, the Dutch national rail agency. H2020 is European Union Research and Innovation programme to boost the competitiveness and efficiencies of EU organisations. Funding for projects is nearly €80

UK-based Instarmac has broken into the North American market with the first use of its Manhole Installation System in Canada. Instarmac said the installation was carried out in conjunction with the Region of Peel council, near the city of Toronto. It was done quickly with minimal disruption to motorists and in temperatures above 35ºC. The Manhole Installation System has been independently tested and approved by the UK’s Highways Authority Product Approval Scheme, said Instarmac, a manufacturer and

The A75 Gretna Green-to-Stranraer road is the main route through Scotland to the ferry port servicing Northern Ireland. With over 1.5m vehicles, including over 200,000 heavy goods vehicles, using the road each year, Transport Scotland commissioned Clearview Intelligence to conduct speed surveys at 12 locations between Gretna and Stranraer. Speed limits differ according to vehicle type, such as passenger cars, vans and heavy goods vehicles. The surveys highlighted a recurring problem with the 85th percentile

Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure has awarded Siemens UK a long-term traffic signal equipment management deal across more than 1,200 sites. It includes 950 Safer Routes to School signs, as well as a network of ANPR cameras and other Vehicle Activated Signs and rising bollards. Siemens said that the four-year deal is one of the largest of its kind that it has won as the main contractor. The principal objectives of the contract are to maintain a high level of equipment availability.

Colas’s Yellow Project has been developed with Aximum Electronic Products - a Colas Group Company - and software experts Foxstream. The system uses thermal imaging and video analytics to detect and classify approaching vehicles into “threat categories”. It identifies those that pose the greatest collision risk with a highway works vehicle or nearby workers. The thermal camera is mounted at height on the rear of a works or emergency vehicle and performs in both dark conditions and full sunlight. It does not

TKH Security Solutions says that its Tunnelcam Ultimo lightweight camera is aimed at use in tunnel applications. The unit offers cross-sensor intelligence capabilities and it allows users to interchange thermal and optical views over a single IP address. The camera can be ordered with pre-configured settings, power supply options and several cabling options with fewer requirements for switch ports and cables.