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32 local authorities awarded share of £93.4 million to
repair roads and bridges
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a further £900,000 will fund scientists, innovators,
academics and tech-focused start-ups to research new ways to
future proof the UK’s
roads
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latest push by government to level up connectivity, by
helping councils fix key infrastructure, tackling congestion
and improving journeys
Communities around the country are set to benefit from a £93
million boost to connectivity, ensuring England’s roads are fit
for the 21st century.
Roads Minister Baroness Vere has announced today (28 February
2020) that 32 local authorities will receive investment for
essential repair works, levelling up infrastructure, cutting
congestion, improving road conditions and making journeys easier.
This includes over £4 million for crucial repairs to the New
Elvet Bridge in Durham along with £3.7 million to help refurbish
several steel bridges around Northumberland.
This comes as government boosts UK innovators through a £900,000
investment to fund cutting-edge research projects aimed at
creating a better transport system – the first of which include
world-leading innovations to spot and repair potholes.
Roads Minister Baroness Vere said:
There is nothing more frustrating than a journey delayed by
poor road conditions, and this multi-million pound boost will
help improve connectivity across the country.
This investment will not only help local areas to target
current pinch points on their roads, but will also harness our
world-leading research and innovation capabilities to future
proof the next generation of journeys.
One of the projects to receive funding for tech projects will see
the development of a new AI-powered app to detect potholes in
real-time, using mobile phone sensors to measure when cyclists
ride over or swerve to avoid them. It is hoped the app will help
local authorities to quickly identify when potholes are forming
and take quicker action to fill them.
Another project known as Shape-Pot will create 3D pothole models
to create a fully autonomous repair platform capable of
automatic, uniform repairs – accelerating the transport network
of the future.
Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool Paolo Paoletti
said:
The Shape-Pot project has the potential to change the way roads
and their defects are managed, promoting a data-driven approach
to management and improving efficiency - making roads safer and
more accessible.
Thanks to the T-TRIG funding, the team will create a
proof-of-principle autonomous robotic platform to characterise
road surface, a first step toward autonomous maintenance of
roads.
Today’s announcement is the latest in the government’s drive for
a transport revolution, and is part of over £6.6 billion awarded
between 2015 and 2021 to improve the condition of the local
highway networks.
