Overcoming Highway Challenges by Modernising Technology
The highways sector is facing a perfect storm of challenges with outdated technology, shrinking budgets, climate pressures, and mounting cyber threats.
Yet, emerging technologies like AI and 5G present game-changing opportunities for how roads are monitored and maintained. The key question is: how can the highways sector embrace innovation while remaining practical and cost-conscious?
The highways sector’s core mission is to keep roads safe and efficient. While this sounds simple, the reality is far more complex. Keeping pace with rapidly advancing technology while managing legacy systems is no easy feat.
Many highways still rely on infrastructure dating back to the 1980s. Over the years, these systems have been gradually upgraded but not fully replaced, leaving a patchwork of aging technology. While swapping outdated systems for modern ones seems like the obvious solution, the financial and logistical challenges make this unrealistic. Instead, the focus must shift to gradually modernising legacy technology in a way that is cost-effective and minimises road disruption.
For instance, AI-powered video analytics has been piloted across the highways sector with promising results. However, scaling such solutions across entire networks is hindered by budget constraints, integration difficulties, and the need to avoid service interruptions.
Upgrading legacy infrastructure is never a quick or easy fix. The challenge is to protect the significant investments already made in existing systems while carefully introducing newer technologies that enhance efficiency and safety. All of this must be done against the backdrop of tightening public finances, where achieving more with fewer resources is now the norm.
Leveraging new technologies to tackle challenges in the highway sector
Highways networks generate vast amounts of data – around 500 terabytes daily across over a million data points. By applying data science and data analytics, the ability to quickly detect and alert device failures becomes significantly faster than with legacy systems.
Previously, roadside systems transmitted information separately through the network via cameras and telephones. Now, with most systems modernised and running on IP networks, the data packets passing through the network can be analysed to determine the status of devices.
This eliminates the need for legacy systems, reducing service costs, and enabling enhanced asset management, all while maintaining the same level of service. This is crucial to minimise road disruption, so the integration of new technologies working alongside legacy systems must continue at a fast rate.
Innovative technologies transforming legacy systems
From a communications perspective, satellite-enabled 5G is expected to revolutionise connectivity, becoming more widespread and eliminating blackouts by covering vast areas. This means that any standard 5G mobile phone or SIM will be able to connect seamlessly, just as if it were using a standard base station.
With 4,000 km of motorways in the UK, many areas lack the practicality of physical cables or fibre. In these locations, wireless communications such as 4G and 5G become essential. However, these same areas often experience poor reception, making satellite-based connections a game-changer for highways. At the same time, legacy communication technologies like 2G, and 3G are being phased out, requiring infrastructure upgrades to support newer mobile signals.
In line with this, BT’s recent decision to switch off Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) lines impacts a portion of the highway’s network. As a result, a transition plan is critical to upgrading systems without causing disruption – this would include replacing the PSTN phone lines with Voice over IP (VoIP).
Population growth and environmental shifts driving resilient infrastructure solutions As it stands, the highways sector faces an urgent challenge in adapting to deal with environmental, population and cyber threats, all while navigating a risk period of reduced funding and shifting government priorities.
With the UK population projected to reach 72.5 million by 2032, making better use of the road networks, without building more, remains a key focus.
At the same time, the technology must be resilient, especially as climate change and extreme weather events become more common. New technology needs to be designed to be climate change resilient as standard, to ensure we minimise the impact of extreme climate events to the general public.
Much of the sector’s technology assets refresh cycle has been long overdue, presenting a key opportunity to replace them with technology designed and deployed to be secure, climate change resilient and more cost efficient. As part of the broader plan, there is a clear focus on modernising infrastructure technology to address these challenges, which will require innovative and norm challenging ways of thinking.
Combating rising cybersecurity threats
Cyber threats to critical national infrastructure are also growing. With the increasing digitisation of highways, securing networks against cyber-attacks is more important than ever. Highway’s Security Operation Centre (SOC) already prevents on average 34,000 threat attacks per year, but threats will only continue to rise with the increase in geopolitical tension between global powers.
To combat these growing challenges, better use of emerging technologies like AI, data analytics and resilient communication systems is proposed. This solution focuses on automated threat detection and prevention, real-time data monitoring, and secure communication in particularly vulnerable areas. By leveraging these advancements, the highways sector can improve efficiency and cyber resilience.
How to achieve more with less
Addressing both current and future challenges will be no easy feat, but third-party providers and suppliers to highway authorities must rethink and innovate every aspect of their operations. The ongoing challenge of achieving more with fewer resources is only intensifying as funding becomes more restricted and resources dwindle.
Businesses that continuously deliver value and effective solutions in this landscape will position themselves for success, demonstrating a deep understanding of the obstacles faced by decision-makers tasked with managing public services. These leaders are increasingly seeking expertise from external consultants on how to evolve the highway network, navigate ongoing challenges, and ensure roads remain safe and efficient, all while managing tighter budgets.
Article by Dr. Kum Wah Choy, Technology Solutions Director at Telent.
