GridKey system ‘could make light work’ of street light repairs
Written by: Marion Hanson, Last updated:10th September 2024
Highways England has announced it will be trialling new technology that aims to keep the nation’s carriageways free of unnecessary closures for essential street light repairs.
GridKey has been developed in partnership with Kier and will allow engineers to more closely monitor the condition of power supply cabling to the nation’s roadside illuminations.
Safer rounds and fewer delays
Highways England supplier relationships manager Lisa Maric, who leads the project, commented: “We will be able to identify faults more quickly and resolve the issue straight away or continuously monitor the situation.
“It will also improve safety by minimising the need to have our workforce out on the road – safety is always our number one priority.”
A trial of the system will now take place across the Midlands over the next 12 months, featuring 60 GridKey units in the first phase and up to 400 units in phase two.
The information collected will help developers and engineers to better understand the electrical loads and stresses that are seen across the street lighting power network.
Mick Leech, electrical and compliance manager at Kier, added the system will also help to identify areas where replacement cabling is likely to be needed in future, helping to prevent failures before they occur.
Ellie Baker, brand manager at Fuel Card Services, comments: “Reducing the amount of time motorists get stuck in traffic due to maintenance and repairs of the nation’s transport infrastructure can only be a good thing. We hope this new technology pays dividends in the months and years to come.”
back
