Signs of future times from Costain and Swarco

Contractor Costain and Austrian manufacturer Swarco have collaborated to create and install the UK’s next generation of digital road message signs.
February 13, 2020 Read time: 1 min

The two companies developed the sign technology for Highways England, the government road asset agency, with Costain delivering the roadside controller and Swarco delivering the signs. According to Costain, the next generation of signs is getting messages to road users more quickly which, in turn, improves road safety and the journey experience for travellers.

The new signs use high-resolution colour optical technology components that enable clearer messages and graphics to be displayed in all weather conditions.

Less material including cabling is used in the manufacturing process which means maintenance requirements are reduced as well as the time engineers spend on roadside duties.

The signs can also display live video images of congestion on the road ahead. This video information could be provided to road users in the future, according to Ian Parker, managing director for transportation at Costain.

Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Innovative GIS advances from Bluesky
    July 18, 2012
    Aerial survey specialist Bluesky is funding research into the development and use of a new system to map the UK’s cities and towns at night. Bluesky has teamed up with the University of Leicester to look at solutions using new high sensitivity camera sensor technology. Mounted on survey aircraft, the new system can record the location of street lights, illuminated road signs and other night-time sources of light. This can deliver an accurate resource for asset inventories, light pollution assessment and ene
    Read More
  • Sophisticated software solutions offering surveying innovation and construction efficiency
    August 28, 2014
    An array of new software tools will deliver greater efficiencies to construction companies – Mike Woof writes. Sophisticated software systems are delivering advanced solutions to traditional construction tasks. Key developments have been made by major players in the sector, such as Bentley Systems, Fugro Roadware, Leica Geosystems and Topcon Sokkia. From Bentley comes a new package that will help road construction activities in urban areas featuring a heavy concentration of underground utilities. This n
    Read More
  • Swarco announces $40 million contract in Saudi Arabia
    April 25, 2012
    It's all smiles at Swarco's stand at Gulf Traffic which opened today because the company has announced it has been awarded the second phase of the Automated Traffic Administering & Monitoring (ATAM) project, a Saudi Arabian programme for the cities of Riyadh and Qaseem.
    Read More
  • Performance-based contracts are the way forward World Bank expert tells PPRS Paris 2015
    February 27, 2015
    There “will never be sufficient funds for all planned road activities” says Ben Gericke, transport specialist at The World Bank. The road maintenance industry is going to have to use the best possible contract strategy to win the investment it needs. Speaking at the PPRS Paris 2015 pavement preservation and recycling summit, Gericke said that the best way for the global highway construction and road maintenance sector was to get its fair share of any national spending plan was to turn to performance-based c
    Read More

Highlighted Content