traffic on Liguria highways is strongly conditioned by innumerable road works, a situation which worsens during the summer months and which unfortunately will continue for a few more years, given the numerous works to be carried out, especially on the viaducts and in galleries. We would have to find an intelligent solution to limit the inconvenience of motorists, but it is not easy, even if there is no shortage of ideas. For example ASPI, after having set up the motorway cashback which makes it possible to obtain reimbursement of the toll in the event of a delay caused by the works, now presents the Road Zipper System which promises to reduce the impact of construction sites on the roadways. Let’s see how it works.

WHAT IS THE ROAD ZIPPER SYSTEM TO LIMIT THE IMPACT OF WORKSITES ON TRAFFIC?

Road Zipper System is already active on an experimental basis on the Ligurian network of Autostrade by Italy. It is actually a system designed to minimize the impact of the work on traffic, potentially reducing its duration and ensuring a significant increase in safety both for personnel working on construction sites and for users in transit. The Road Zipper technology allows move a physical separation barrier placed between two opposing traffic flows by means of a specific machine that does not require the use of road personnel, operating continuously without the need to operate road closures. The tests were carried out in the modernization sites of the A26 motorway, a complex section in terms of size and type of work, and therefore an ideal test bed for the efficiency of the machines.

MOTORWAYS OF LIGURIA: HOW DOES THE ROAD ZIPPER WORK?

Patented in the USA, the Road Zipper is an advanced technology system that limits inconvenience, with dynamic management of the available lanes, favoring the dominant flow of traffic through theopening or closing an additional lane in a very short time and in complete safety also depending on changing traffic conditions. Specifically, the system works by moving a continuous wall barrierformed by modular elements similar to the new jerseys that delimit the yard which, through the use of a specially designed machine, makes them pass through a system of conveyor belts capable of adapt to bends in the road. In a single pass, the barrier is moved up to 7.3 meters at a maximum speed of 15 km/h.

The Road Zipper system is designed to create a physical traffic separation barrier, flexible, between opposite lanes or between motorists and work areas, also managing traffic jams. The system can create additional workspace for work teams or provide more lanes in the peak direction to reduce queues.

POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF THE ROAD ZIPPER ON TRAFFIC ON THE LIGURIAN HIGHWAYS (AND NOT ONLY)

Through the use of this technology, it will therefore be possible to operate the real-time lane reshapingthus reconciling the continuity of the work with the needs of the road network: it will thus be possible to reconfigure the site in favor of the dominant direction of traffic, potentially reducing, on the basis of the first observations that have appeared in this experimental phase, up to 50% of site crossing time by opening an additional path in the direction where the flow is the most intense. This is a solution adopted for the first time by ASPI on its network with the aim, after this first test period, of extend this technology to sites with the greatest impact on the rest of the managed network (Ligurian motorways but not only), in order to improve the travel experience in the sections concerned by the modernization plan of Autostrade per l’Italia.

Obviously, beyond the proclamations, we are waiting to see the concrete effects on a large scale.