Kapsch TrafficCom is to begin work on a connected vehicle project in northern Spain, providing hardware and software to help digitise a 60km stretch of the A8 freeway near Bilbao by 2024.
It has installed 25 roadside units along the highway, which will act as key points for receiving and distributing information between vehicles and the control centre via wireless technology.
Meanwhile, its software enables direct communication with networked vehicles and provides real-time traffic data to the control centre, “enabling efficient decision-making and traffic management”.
The infrastructure will enable vehicles with active connectivity to receive real-time information on accidents, road works, traffic jams, obstacles on the road, speed limits and weather, while also contributing information to the ecosystem themselves.
Carolin Treichl, executive vice president of Europe, Middle East, and North Africa at Kapsch TrafficCom, explains: “By facilitating the swift transmission of critical information, such as the presence of road works, accidents, or hazards, we can prevent accidents, reduce congestion and enhance the overall efficiency of the road.”
“This milestone project is a crucial first step towards shaping the roads of the future,” Treichl says.
The company says: “Progress is already underway with initial tests of the system.”
Funding has come from the provincial government of Bizkaia and Basque technology centre Tecnalia Research and Innovation.