The Roads Ahead – How
will the roads of the future look like?
Certain technologies like smartphones and the internet, have evolved
at lightning speed and have transformed the business landscape of many sectors.
Vehicle technology has also rapidly advanced in the last few decades. But
the roads we drive on, have remained unchanged for decades, the roadways have
not kept up the pace of development. Globally, billions of dollars are spent on
designing energy-efficient, future-ready vehicles. But, we are yet to witness a
real revolution in highway and road construction technologies. (I am not
counting minor patchwork improvements).
Why the need for change?
Roads – the Underlying
Support Infrastructure for Economic Progress
Roads are more than the underlying framework to transport
people and goods from Point to point. They are the drivers of economic progress
and national victories. In the Second World War, the Autobahn played a crucial
role in moving critical military resources for the German troops. A
well-planned interstate highway system helped German troops establish their
presence on the continent.
After the end of the Second World War, US President Franklin
D. Roosevelt launched the construction of a similar interstate highway system
in the US. Besides providing jobs for the large number of troops returning
home, these highways also played a crucial role in the growth of the US
economy.
In India, former Prime Minister, late Shri Atal Bihari
Vajpayee realised that investing in roads would pave way for the development
and thus created the NHDP (National Highway Development Programme). He passed
the Central Road Fund Act in 2000, which empowered the centre to develop
national highways at a swift pace.
By empowering the NHAI (National Highways Authority of India)
and eliminating the need for project-wise approval for each road, the Prime
Minister paved the way for quick development of national highways, spanning the
length and breadth of the country.
India had built a total of 34,000 km of national highways
since Independence up to 1991. Under the tenure of Mr Vajpayee, this grew to a
whopping 58,000 km in 2001. By 2019, the NHAI had added further 81,000 km of
national highways with average 29 Km construction per day in last 6 years.
Increasing Traffic
It may be hard to imagine, but in the coming years, the
number of cars on roads will increase further. Globally, the volume of vehicles
plying the streets has been steadily growing. According to reports by the
International Transport Forum, passenger mobility on roads will be 3x to 4x
times higher than it is today.
Other reports indicate that the world's vehicle count will
grow by 3% every year until 2030. These vehicles will be used majorly in
megacities, as 75% of the total global population will live in cities by 2050.
So, how will we cope
with this surge in vehicular traffic? How do we work on revolutionising our
roads so that they help in national economic progress?
The answer lies in – Technology. Just like our cities, our
roads will get smart in the coming years. Let's take a look at some of the
predictions regarding the future of highways. Some of these projects are
currently in the prototype stage, whereas others are still in the initial
stages of planning.
Solar-powered Roads
Several companies across the globe are exploring the
potentials of harnessing energy from roads. The Glowing Lines project is a
500-meter long road in Netherland. The lanes of the highways are painted with
light-absorbing paint. These paints absorb sunlight by day and glow at night,
guiding drivers.
In Jinan, a city in China, a company is experimenting by
laying solar panels on a major highway. The energy generated from these solar
panels will be used to light up the roads at night. A similar trial is being
conducted by Colas, a French startup in partnership with the National Solar
Energy Institute.
Our future roads have the potential to become massive power
generators. Solar panels on the streets will harness the energy from the sun
and convert it into electrical energy that can be used for various purposes.
Thus, cutting down our reliance on fossil fuels for energy.
Roads that charge
Electric Cars
Electron is a start-up based in Israel working on a
technology, which will allow electric cars to charge while they are in motion.
The company uses special coils that are buried beneath the asphalt of roads.
These coils provide on-the-go charging for vehicles using the road. The project
director states that these roads eliminate the need for charging
infrastructure, reducing the environmental impact of electric cars.
Smart Highways
Several companies worldwide are working on creating a network
of smart highways that rely on sensors to detect and reroute traffic in
real-time. The intelligent sensors for these highways will be embedded in the
roads as well as on the vehicles.
These highways have the potential to prevent crashes by
detecting the speed, momentum, and position of vehicles. If any of these
parameters change abruptly, the system will override the vehicle's manual
control system and prevent a collision.
Self-healing Roads
The highways of the future will also be low maintenance.
Research is being done on the development of self-repairing materials that will
reduce maintenance costs.
Heating Panels on Roads
Imagine embedding heating element panels on road surfaces.
This could help in increasing the temperature of roads, melting ice, and snow,
thus making travel conditions safer and smoother in winter.
The transport system of
the future will be more intelligent, integrated, and efficient.
However, this is changing, as new technologies are being
tested on road construction. With these new technologies, the installation,
efficiency and maintenance of road infrastructure will be radically different
in the coming years.
The author is one of the rising new voice in Digital Technology World today. He authored one of the bestselling
book- Digital Construction Management and is known for his passion for
technology and successful implementation of many digital programs of Government
such as electronic tolling on national highways in India (FASTag), e-Tender
& e-MB Portals, automation of highway sector, Project Management Softwares,
citizen-centric Mobile Apps etc. His recent contribution is the development of
Artificial Intelligence-based Big Data analytic platform – Data Lake at NHAI. An
IIT & ISB alumni, strategist and excellent executor, Akhilesh is one of the
respected technocrats of India.
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Noushad Parokkot - Well described article.. deserve an applause.. Thanks
Noushad Parokkot - Well described article.. deserve an applause.. Thanks Read Less