Skip to main content

Advanced road drainage system

An advanced approach to maintenance is helping ensure that the UK county of Kent keeps on top of road drainage. Kent Highway Services (KHS) has a network of some 8,400km of roads and drains, which requires a fleet of vehicles to maintain and support. In order to keep traffic moving and avoid flooding hazards for motorists, road drainage systems have to be consistently monitored and maintained. Previously this was carried out on a reactive basis, but this has proved to be neither cost effective nor efficient
April 10, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
An advanced approach to maintenance is helping ensure that the UK county of Kent keeps on top of road drainage. Kent Highway Services (KHS) has a network of some 8,400km of roads and drains, which requires a fleet of vehicles to maintain and support. In order to keep traffic moving and avoid flooding hazards for motorists, road drainage systems have to be consistently monitored and maintained. Previously this was carried out on a reactive basis, but this has proved to be neither cost effective nor efficient. To manage this task more effectively KHS needed to capture data about locations and conditions of the drains in order to plan cost effectively for maintenance and repairs.

Using geographic information system technology (GIS), 212 esri UK worked with KHS to make this information readily available. Using ESRI UK's ArcPad solution, KHS can now access and record exact locations of drains and conditions and ensure maintenance is carried out without unnecessary costs. The GIS technology allows KHS to calculate efficient routes depending on the location and condition of the drains. This enables efficient maintenance, whilst improving the safety of the highways and reducing vehicle mileage.

ESRI now has a full case study of Kent Highway Services work with the firm and can provide insight into how GIS is becoming a cost effective and vital resource.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • More efficient asphalt output from new plants
    November 20, 2015
    Advances in asphalt plant design offer major gains in product throughput and quality, while also allowing for warm asphalt and increased recycling The asphalt sector is constantly looking for ways to optimise production, lower costs and improve product quality and consistency. Competition is fierce in the asphalt plant market, with several of the key companies working hard to develop new and more efficient technologies, as well as equipment that is more versatile and more mobile. Advances have been made
  • Tackling winter maintenance
    February 9, 2012
    Winter weather often brings traffic chaos, and authorities have to be ready to tackle it as Patrick Smith reports Good winter maintenance is rarely noticed, and it is only when things go wrong that it becomes a public issue. "When sudden bouts of cold weather bring traffic chaos, icy roads receive high-profile coverage and local authorities are criticised, often unfairly, for not affording greater protection," says the Highways Term Maintenance Association (HTMA), the UK's top trade body for road mainten
  • Tackling winter maintenance
    May 8, 2012
    Winter weather often brings traffic chaos, and authorities have to be ready to tackle it as Patrick Smith reports. Good winter maintenance is rarely noticed, and it is only when things go wrong that it becomes a public issue. "When sudden bouts of cold weather bring traffic chaos, icy roads receive high-profile coverage and local authorities are criticised, often unfairly, for not affording greater protection," says the Highways Term Maintenance Association (HTMA), the UK's top trade body for road mainten
  • Get paid faster for your work by being efficient, optimised, and careful with resources… get connected now
    September 1, 2023
    In this, the third roundtable meeting in World Highways’ series of Connected Construction discussions, Guy Woodford discusses the implications of developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine control with world-class experts in their field. Find out what Elwyn McLachlan, vice president of Civil Solutions at Trimble, Murray Lodge, senior vice president and general manager of Construction at Topcon Positioning Group, and Magnus Thibblin, vice president Heavy Construction at Hexagon Geosystems have to say about how you should be positioning your company for a successful future.