Our Asset Company Abertis, global leader in toll road management, and Vaisala, a global leader in weather, environmental, and industrial measurements, are conducting a pilot study on how to reduce ice formation on highway to increase driver safety. Specifically, they are investigating how Vaisala's road weather technology can be used, which captures its effects that affect driving and can support winter maintenance decisions on roads, particularly regarding the optimization of the use of anti-icing treatment materials.
For this, a joint team of Abertis’ traffic, road and safety experts and Vaisala’s road weather experts are collecting and analyzing data during the 2021–2022 winter season to understand in more detail how, for example, salt used in the cold months for road maintenance behaves, how the long residual of it remains on the surface of the pavement and what factors affect this.
Road weather technology is indeed critical for winter and summer pavement maintenance since effective operations can all be affected by weather conditions. Regardless of the application, accurate data regarding highway conditions, from snow and ice to wind, sandstorms, or flooding, empowers road decision making with crucial information. With Vaisala’s road weather technology, all road maintenance decisions are based on accurate and reliable measurement data, which improves safety and operational efficiency.
Abertis' participation in this pilot test is one more example of our Group's commitment to innovation, increasing its vision towards initiatives that help improve business management. In this way, work is being done to adapt the infrastructure of its road network to the new challenges of future mobility, more sustainable and connected, and which will involve the identification of new growth opportunities.
