Kier Highways will soon begin trials of an automated taper than can close
lanes in minutes, eliminating the need for a person to install a cone taper
next to live oncoming traffic.
The innovation, SwiftGate, can be fully deployed in around five minutes
compared to the 25 minutes it takes road workers to put out the taper of cones
directing often fast-moving traffic away from a live lane.
SwiftGate will be installed at the Area 3 Hindhead Tunnel in Surrey which
requires regular closures for essential maintenance work. During 2019 there
were 14 vehicle incursions into these roadworks putting the lives of workers at
risk.
Together with National Highways and Highway Care, Kier will trial the
automated taper gates on both the north and southbound carriageways of the
tunnel.
The gates clearly and safely filter traffic out of the traffic lane. Cones
can then be put out beyond the taper to clearly mark out the closed-off lane.
As well as avoiding the need for workers to manually set out tapers, the
arms are a strong visual deterrent which will help avoid incursions,
particularly at night-time.
Kier Highways senior project manager, Mark Sheppard, said: “The SwiftGate
project will give us a great opportunity to trial something that is completely
new to the National Highways network, that will modernise the standard approach
to road worker protection.
“Traffic management installation can be a high-risk activity, so the
opportunity to introduce an automatic solution that has the potential to
significantly reduce risk our people are exposed to when working close to live
traffic, is a worthy project.”
Head of Lean and continuous improvement Martin Bolt, who has been overseeing
the innovation for National Highways, said: “Installing and removing a taper of
cones in the face of traffic exposes our road workers to risk, particularly on
elevated sections of motorways, bridges or tunnels where there may not be an
embankment or place of safety.
“If successful, SwiftGate is another step to zero live lane working for our
workforce as we work towards our goal of ensuring nobody is harmed while
working or travelling on our roads.
“The automated tapers free up workers to do other jobs and can be put out in
just 50 seconds meaning work can begin straight away with less disruption for
road users. We look forward to seeing SwiftGate in action at Hindhead Tunnel.”
Highway Care Business Development Director, Ben Duncker, said: “We are very
pleased, after many months of hard work from the project team, that we are able
to commence the trial of this exciting safety innovation working
collaboratively with Kier and National Highways.
“We are confident that the system will be a success in, not only improving
the safety of our traffic management operatives but also improving customer
journeys through the faster and more efficient closing and reopening of lanes.
“Safety through innovation is our priority and the ability to trial such new
solutions with National Highways is testament to their commitment to
making the roads safer for all users.”
