Highways England has revealed it has deployed a road-marking robot on some of England’s busiest roads in an effort to save drivers from of hours of disruption.
The robot uses precise positioning technology to mark out where white lines need to be painted on new or resurfaced roads.
The robot has been put to work on various Highways England projects across the country, including Britain’s biggest road upgrade, the £1.5bn A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement.
It also recently pre-marked eight miles (12.8km) of the M6 in Staffordshire in four hours. This work would usually take two engineers over a week to complete.
Savings elsewhere include saving 27 hours of working time marking three miles (4.8km) of hard shoulder on the M4 in Berkshire, 77 hours covering five miles (8km) of the M6 in Warwickshire, and six hours working on two miles (3.2km) of the M1 in Leicestershire, with further work done on the M60 smart motorway at Manchester.
According to Highways England, by completing roadworks faster, the robot can help contribute to reducing congestion, improving journey times, and supporting economic growth, while cost savings can be used to provide more or better-quality road-building materials.
It also reportedly has safety benefits for road workers by allowing them to focus on completing other essential work on each project.
Julian Lamb, construction director on the A14 where the robot has been used, said: “We’re always looking at innovative new ways of working, which can help road users, and make our projects more efficient while supporting improved engineering.
“With safety our top priority, the time savings the robot can provide, coupled with removing our operatives from a potentially hazardous situation, make it a great solution.”
The robot has been so successful that contractor WJ Group, which adopted the technology for it to complete the pre-marking, has now invested in a second one to help complete more of its work.
Wayne Johnston, managing director, WJ Group, said: “I am passionate about changing the way we work in this industry and the WJ Robotic PreMarker represents a real step change.
“However, it is just a starting point, we will continue to invest in research and development to find better, more efficient and safer ways of working.”
