Automated Systems for Temporary Roadworks and Safety on Motorways

Infrastructure operators across Europe are under mounting pressure to modernize road maintenance practices. Climate change, aging assets, and increasing traffic volumes – especially on urban and interurban networks – intensify the need for more resilient and efficient operations. In Austria alone, around 10,000 temporary (daytime) construction sites are set up each year on motorways. On many sites, extensive manual labour is required to deploy and remove safety equipment such as cones and warning signs, secure accident recovery areas, and perform routine tasks including mowing, litter collection, snow removal, and salting.

Workers may spend several hours following behind works in trucks, while heavy freight, large machinery, and new vehicle types travel through the same corridors. Such conditions expose personnel to high-risk environments, including drivers stopping on the motorway, and cause significant traffic disruptions.
Despite existing warning systems, rear-end collisions and other hazardous incidents continue to occur. Real-time navigation services still provide incomplete and delayed information, reducing driver awareness and safety. These points are only illustrative; individual sites face additional challenges depending on their conditions.

Current systems are fragmented. Maintenance vehicles, safety devices and IT solutions operate with little integration, creating silos. Technical equipment must be maintained separately, and key activities remain manual. For example, in Austria, ASFINAG runs 43 motorway maintenance depots with differing technical setups. Legal and operational constraints, especially in open-road areas with varying lane widths (3.10–3.60 m), further complicate automation. Automation overall is low, with high dependence on human presence and non-standardised conditions.
This lack of coordination and automation of basic tasks and insufficient system integration undermines safety, cost-efficiency and service continuity which point to an urgent need for change.

This Innovation Challenge, organised in cooperation with the Association Européenne des Concessionnaires d’Autoroutes et d’ouvrages à Péage (ASECAP – European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures) supports ASECAP’s broader goal: to identify and promote innovative solutions that automate road maintenance across Europe. Automation offers a strategic opportunity to improve efficiency, reduce costs and meet sustainability targets.

The activities listed here are based on Austrian examples. These may differ in other countries depending on local regulations and operational standards. Focus lies on practical, scalable innovations (examples are mentioned below) deployable across diverse European contexts to make road maintenance safer, smarter and more sustainable.

Watch the video to get inspired:

This challenge seeks innovative solutions that help automate the full lifecycle of temporary roadwork systems – from safe setup to active operation and dismantling. The goal is to design, develop or enhance automated vehicles and systems that replace tasks still performed manually to make road maintenance safer, smarter and more efficient.

To inspire applicants, here are some examples of areas where innovation should make a difference:

• Snow clearing: Autonomous vehicles or systems that detect, manage and clear snow from roads and other traffic surfaces, adapting to changing weather conditions.
• Pothole detection and repair: Tools or onboard systems that identify surface damage such as potholes or cracks and enable automated intervention.
• Traffic cone deployment and removal: Robotic or automated solutions to place and remove cones or other traffic control devices to secure construction zones or road sections.
• Street and road surface cleaning: Technologies for debris collection, mechanical sweeping and surface washing with minimal manual intervention.
• Mowing the strip next to the motorway or in the strip between the lanes: Autonomous vehicles or systems…

These examples are not exhaustive – Welcome are concepts for rest areas/motorway stations and other motorway environments, including the potential use of drones. Both standalone systems and integration with existing ASFINAG infrastructure are also welcome. The solutions should be mobile and operate reliably without external power supply or permanent data connection (a self-contained, autonomous system), enabling resource-efficient operation by infrastructure operators themselves without needing large construction companies. Systems must be weather-resistant, operable day and night, and comply with EU road safety regulations (including CE marking where applicable).

Key technical requirements proposals should aim for:

• Automated or semi-automated systems
• Real-time detection of traffic conditions (e.g. using radar or lidar)
• Centralised control with remote monitoring and digital site documentation
• Fail-safe operation with redundancy and manual override
• Compatibility with lane widths of 3.10–3.60 m, gradients of the motorway up to 6% and varied road conditions
• Optional: V2X communication with navigation services and vehicles

Solutions should be scalable and demonstrate ease of use, high reliability and minimal training needs. Both pilot-ready systems and integration concepts are eligible.

Participants will have the opportunity to test their solutions in real-world environments, such as motorways, service areas, or construction zones. The challenge is part of a broader innovation dialogue supported by ASECAP and the Austrian Competence Center for Innovation Procurement (IÖB-Servicestelle). It offers a unique chance to collaborate with infrastructure operators and shape the future of road safety and maintenance.

This call is open to:

• Motorway operator companies
• Innovative companies and startups and technology providers
• Academic and research institutions
• Public-private partnerships
• Multidisciplinary consortia

Submissions should include a detailed and concrete use case, a clear description of the proposed concept and products, and an explanation of how the solution can be operated in practice. Proposals must also describe how the system integrates with existing infrastructure and platforms, and how it can be adapted to European conditions such as lane widths, voltage standards, and other national requirements. Product data sheets, CE marking and information on applicable standards should be provided, along with an indication of the current Technology Readiness Level (TRL). Purely software-based solutions are not eligible; submissions should focus on hardware products or combined hardware–software systems relevant to motorway operations. Solutions are not required to demonstrate compatibility with Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) or to include emergency call handling features but may do so where relevant.

Please outline the area of application for the submission or provide the use case and application in the national context of your choice (European context). The most promising solutions will be showcased at the ASECAP Days 2026 in Bratislava.