£30 million funding released to decarbonise road network

The government has announced a £30 million funding package to bring forward new innovations to decarbonise the country’s road networks.

The £30 million Live Labs 2 competition is funded by the Department of Transport (DfT) and will support pioneering projects to make the construction, maintenance and running of the UK roads and highways more sustainable.

The competition is the second round of funding announced for the project, with previous schemes backed by the DfT including:

• fibre cables that detect vibrations from vehicles and dynamically change signal junctions to combat congestion
• trials involving drones to detect potholes in Kent
• plastic roads in Cumbria to boost value for money in the construction of highways

Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said:

“Investing in innovation is a priority for this government. That’s why we’re supporting local highways authorities to develop cutting-edge projects and help drive our decarbonisation mission.??

“Our £30 million investment will go towards a greener, safer transport landscape. It will help create green, high-skilled jobs across the country and I look forward to seeing these innovative ideas brought to life.

The announcement is the latest effort in aiming to decarbonise the transport system and meet the UK’s net-zero 2050 target after a £200 million award of funding to 12 local authority areas including Greater Manchester to deliver zero-carbon electric buses.