Hampshire embraces new technology to boost road salting work

A NEW '˜Smart Winter' pilot using a detailed network of weather sensors is underway in Hampshire to help highways teams pinpoint more precisely when and where roads need salting to tackle icy conditions.

Praising the scheme, Hampshire County Council traffic boss Councillor Rob Humby said: ‘We’re always looking at how technology and innovation can help us look after Hampshire’s road network as efficiently and effectively as possible.

‘Deciding when to send out the salting lorries is crucial to make sure the roads are treated at the right times while not wasting any salt.

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‘At the moment, we use a number of roadside sensors and localised weather forecasts to make these decisions.’

The low-cost devices use infrared to read road surface temperature and then sends the data back using WiFi and the street lighting network.

The council says it means winter teams can make even better-informed decisions.

The pilot is being run by county highways contractor Amey and other partners.