The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded £2 million to support the use of AI technology in improving the condition of local roads.
It is going to work in a partnership with the Local Condition Roads Innovation Group (LCIRG) to use AI in reviewing close to 150 million high definition images of over 96,000 miles of roads with the aim of ensuring they are up to the required standard.
The project, reported as the largest exercise in assessing road marking readiness ever undertaken in England, will use the services of SME Gaist Solutions, which specialises in data on infrastructure and assets.
The funding has come from the £348 million available for projects to improve roads through the department’s Challenge Fund and Pinch Point fund.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “Road markings play a vital role in keeping everyone who is using the road safe, so making sure they’re up to standard is imperative.
“This funding will allow for advanced AI learning technology to assess the condition of the markings to improve the safety of our roads for all users.”
The DfT said the money will also be used for a survey of pavement and footway conditions to help identify where further funding should be targeted, and that it has plans to assess sections of the National Cycle Network.
Image from iStock, nonimatge
