The challenge

The National Emergency Area Retrofit (NEAR) programme included the retrofit of circa 130 emergency areas, requiring 355 km of traffic management encompassing 43% of the All Lane Running network, with a delivery commitment of the end of March 2025.

Despite tight timeframes, all 12 NEAR Programme schemes were delivered on time by March 2025. 4way played a pivotal role, earning consistent praise for technical excellence, reliability, collaboration, and leadership. Clients commended our ability to integrate seamlessly into teams, manage complex technology, and deliver outcomes under pressure. Jonathan Goddard and Hardip Dhanda were also recognised with a Smart Motorway Alliance Production Excellence Award for their outstanding contributions to system delivery and ROC integration.

The challenge

Following open-for-traffic in September 2024, monitoring was required to identify remedial implementation issues (construction snagging), consider other post-operational performance issues, and validate ops and safety design assumptions. Four monitoring deliverables were successfully completed (Day One, Week One, 3-Month, and 6-Month), each reporting across 16 metrics detailed within the scheme’s Plan for Monitoring Operations.

National Highways SES commended our approach to post-opening monitoring. Our robust reports helped support stakeholders to successfully expedite remedial issues and validate ops and safety design assumptions (incl. confirmation that the scheme is exceeding its safety objectives). The exercise also highlighted specific localised issues regarding Elland Road Stadium match day congestion and local pedestrians (non-road-users) accessing the network that, while not caused by the scheme, had previously gone underreported. The scheme has empowered stakeholders to take coordinated action to address these issues.

The challenge

A change in National Highways regional maintenance contracts meant that operational control for Southwick and Roundhill Tunnels would migrate from a supplier’s depot in Kent to the South-East Regional Operations Centre (SEROC) at Godstone in Surrey.

• Project management
• Operational requirements
• Site surveys
• Capacity assessments
• Risk identification / analysis
• Feasibility review
• Strategy development
• Cyber assurance
• Supplier and services procurement
• Stakeholder planning and engagement
• Acceptance testing
• Handover to operations

The challenge

Construction of the Edgbaston extension of the Birmingham Metro necessitated the closure of the Five Ways underpass. The impacts of this closure were likely to create significant congestion on the local road network. 4way were challenged to identify mitigation measures through amendments to local traffic signals settings which would minimise these impacts whilst construction work took place.

Real time communication from site to control rooms enabled all parties to identify operational risks and rapidly mitigate them to maintain traffic flows. Significantly less congestion was experienced than initially anticipated and adverse reaction in the local press was avoided.

Project scope

• LinSig modelling
• Traffic signal detailed design
• Traffic signal control strategy validation
• Equipment supplier engagement
• Stakeholder engagement
• On site MOVA and VA validation team

The challenge

To eliminate data unreliability and all safety risks and costs associated with resource intensive traditional manual surveys, 4way explored the use of Floating Vehicle Data (FVD) to analyse and evaluate junction performance impacts of both SCOOT and MOVA traffic signal control strategies to determine which provides optimum junction efficiency.

What we did

4way designed and implemented 22 bespoke FVD monitoring routes across M27 J7 and further afield. For all routes, data was collected simultaneously and continuously over 2 weeks, with the junction operating under SCOOT (week one), and MOVA (week two), enabling a direct comparison of FVD outcomes. Data was compiled and processed in-house. Of specific interest were peak times; when junction performance is most compromised, and when an optimised traffic signal control strategy might afford the greatest benefit.

• Floating vehicle data
• System optimisation
• Innovation
• Data analysis
• Critically evaluate solutions
• Multidisciplinary technical research
• Traffic signal control strategy validation

The challenge

Carrying over 75,000 vehicles per day, the M621 is a predominantly urban motorway, which connects the M62 and M1 to Leeds city centre. The 3.6-mile J1-7 scheme aimed to improve journey time reliability, network resilience, and safety through driver information and operational control via ITS on a severely constrained stretch of urban motorway.

National Highways SES commended our approach to safety risk assessments, while Operations have praised the project delivery team for their consultative approach and value engineered design. Post-opening monitoring helped identify specific localised issues that, while not caused by the scheme, had previously gone underreported, and henceforth empowered stakeholders to take coordinated action to address them. The scheme delivered roads technology that solved operational problems in a tightly constrained environment and improved outcomes measurably for stakeholders following open-for-traffic in September 2024.

The challenge

Supporting Costain and Pell Frischmann, 4way was commissioned to manage street lighting changes as part of complex structural refurbishments on Gallows Corner Flyover for Transport for London (TfL). This challenging project required meticulous planning to remove and reposition lighting assets, ensuring clear access for essential upgrades that will extend the flyover’s lifespan and improve safety for all road users.

Our team successfully delivered a lighting solution that met TfL and local authority standards, ensuring compliance with long-term maintenance and operational requirements. By identifying the need for additional lighting at pedestrian crossings to enhance night-time safety, we achieved improvements that were approved in collaborative workshops with TfL, highlighting our commitment to proactive, safety-focused design.

Project scope

• Overnight lighting-level surveys
• Electrical infrastructure surveys
• Detailed lighting design
• Integrating proposed lighting with existing systems
• Signal-controlled pedestrian crossing lighting
• Under flyover lighting
• Design drawings 200, 1300 & 1400 series’
• Electrical cable calculations
• Specification of highway works

The challenge

Connecting vehicles to each other and roadside devices can provide road users with reliable, real time information making journeys more reliable and safer. The A2/M2 Connected Corridor project provides a test bed through which vehicles and roadside infrastructure can communicate. It is part of InterCor, an EU project that aims to test vehicle communications services across borders, connecting the UK to the Netherlands, France and Belgium.

We managed various aspects of the technical programme to ensure timely delivery of an integrated C-ITS test bed using G5 and Cellular communications infrastructure, on board units and human machine interfaces (HMIs), data exchange processing and the cloud. Key successes included a trial of GLOSA and the hosting of international Test-Fest events at which innovative international suppliers were able to test their C-ITS products in a real world CAV environment.

Project Scope

• Project Management
• Service Leadership
• Stakeholder planning and engagement

The challenge

National Highways wished to review and update their cost estimating models and base data for both Operational Expenditure (OPEX) and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX). Whilst a framework had been produced previously for highways civils and structures based works/assets, there was limited cost intelligence regarding operational technology assets.

The challenge

Switch Island is a major signalised gyratory in Liverpool where the M57, M58 and three major A roads meet.  This complex junction suffered from a higher than average accident rate with regular “side swipe” collisions caused by poor lane discipline.