This has been a busy week where I have been out and about visiting some of our local authority Members and our Associate Members from the private sector.
I was able to witness first hand the systems employed to manage the highway asset in the likes of Gaist and Vaisala, both of which were equally impressive in helping us to digitise the work we do. I then saw a demonstration by Archway and their Roadmaster Spray Injection patching machine which fixes all types of road defects, including crazing, cracking, fretting and potholes. It was truly impressive operating on North Yorkshires network.
Then, just yesterday I visited Thermal Road Repairs who offer a rather unique solution through a thermal heat process which is achieved using specialised computer equipment that operates efficiently and economically ensuring carriageways are reformed to a very high standard. I was particularly impressed that this solution was quiet, efficient and resulted in no joints which are often cited as the reason for subsequent failures to trenches and pothole repairs.
During my visit, the owner of Thermal Road Repairs (TRR) told me about a recent success they had with a construction firm based in Australia. The owner of A1 Highways had flown over from Madrid, where he was on holiday with his family, specifically to visit the LCRIG Innovation Festival to see what was on offer from the UK. A1 Highways has already purchased 2 thermal repair heaters from TRR with the promise of more. What a great story this for the UK and in particular TRR – we, as an industry are leading the way with innovation, and that makes me feel proud. Even more so, as the owner of TRR said ‘if this hadn’t been for LCRIG providing them with the opportunity to exhibit at our Innovation Festival, this simply would never have happened’. I’d be really interested to learn if there are any other success stories out there as a result of the Innovation Festival.