Solution

DURABROADS aims at developing pavements adapted to new challenges and achieving an efficient, smarter and safer mobility. In addition, DURABROADS solutions will optimize road construction and rehabilitation procedures while minimizing the negative impact on the environment. The development of innovative nanotechnology-enhanced binders will be carried out to improve resilience and durability of asphalt mixes. Moreover, the consortium will focus in particular on research of Warm Mix Asphalt technology and the maximum addition of wastes and by-products to minimize environmental impacts.

Objective

The primary objective of the SafetyCube project is to develop an innovative road safety Decision Support System (DSS) that will enable policy-makers and stakeholders to select and implement the most appropriate strategies, measures and cost-effective approaches to reduce casualties of all road user types and all severities in Europe and worldwide.

Overview

The EU Ecolabel identifies products and services that contribute to sustainability because they have demonstrated a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle. There are already more than 17,000 EU Eco-labelled products on the market, but there are no references for road products and infrastructures The concept of the LCE4ROADS project arises from the necessity for a new, green, holistic and EU-harmonised certification system integrating a Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) approach: environmental indicators along with the economic, technical and social aspects, for the assessment of future and existing road infrastructures, as well as their construction materials such as asphalt mixtures and cement-based materials.

This methodology, together with a guide for road certification and a multi-criteria software tool to be developed, will define criteria and provide recommendations, supporting and motivating relevant stakeholders and industry to include greener, more cost-effective and safer technologies in their road construction, maintenance and renewal projects. In order to achieve the expected results, a complete work plan has been put together that will move from the definition of the new certification/rating methodology considering existing relevant labelling approaches, plus the analysis of road products, to the development of guidelines and a software tool that, thanks to the direct involvement of CEN in the project, will motivate future EU-harmonized certification approaches for roads that would grant the implementation of the LCE4ROADS results.

The LCE4ROADS project will contribute to the implementation of European policies and strategies, boosting the integration of transport in sustainable development promoting technologies and materials that reduce pollutant emissions and the use of natural and financial resources.

Objectives

To overcome this barrier, ECOROADS projects aims at the establishment of a common enhanced approach to road infrastructure and tunnel safety management by using the concepts and criteria of the Directive 2008/96/CE on road infrastructure safety management and the results of the two related
European Commission’s (EC) studies on Directive 2008/96/EC, covering the open road safety management and Directive 2004/54/EC, covering the tunnels.

Such an objective will be achieved through the following specific activities:

• Workshops with the stakeholders (European tunnel and road managers);
• Exchange of best practices and experiences between European tunnel experts and road safety professionals
• Pilot joint safety operations in (at least) five European road sections in transition (which feature both open roads and tunnels)
• Recommendations and guidelines for the application of the RSA and RSI concepts within the tunnel safety procedures and operations

Objective

Specifically, FOTsis will test the road infrastructure s capability to incorporate the new cooperative systems technology and provide the following services in four European Test-Communities (Spain, Portugal, Germany and Greece) regrouping 9 Test-Sites:

Using an integral and comprehensive approach, FOTsis will therefore review the road infrastructure and communication networks required to secure a proper connectivity from the traffic control centres (and all the information they already have available, enhanced with the V2I data) with the users/vehicles.

Relying on the common European and open ITS architecture guideline proposal (supported by the project COMeSafety), able to incorporate available and future ITS services and systems, FOTsis aims to contribute to the safety, mobility and sustainability challenges faced nowadays by the European road transport system.

The project represents a major step forward to better connect vehicles, infrastructures and traffic management centres, the main focus being placed on the responsibilities of the road operator.