Spain has gone in a bold way to revolutionize its road network with the use of smart asphalt—a very advanced material that can track traffic in real time, WPB reports. Scientists at the University of Granada have developed this groundbreaking surface with highly advanced sensors that take immediate measurements of passing vehicles' speed and weight as well as evaluate the health of the road itself.
The system, known formally as Project MASAI (Automated and Intelligent Sustainable Asphalt Material), is already being tested on several roads across Andalusia, in Granada, Cádiz, and Almería. Far from a typical paving substance, MASAI is a union of technology, sustainability, and security that is intended to anticipate wear and tear before it can even be observed. With this advance action, maintenance crews can move quickly, avoiding potholes and the potential for accidents.
Unlike other surveillance technologies, this intelligent asphalt does not need external cameras or sensors. It talks to DGT 3.0, Spain's traffic data system, and sends real-time data on speed, weight of vehicles, and road integrity. In a nation where over half the roads evidence deterioration, this technology will change road management and reduce maintenance costs by as much as 15%, thanks in part to its recycled content and energy-efficient manufacturing.
While others hope that technology may ultimately replace speed cameras, today the goal of the project is prevention rather than punishment. Spanish traffic law still limits fines to equipment like fixed or mobile radars or Pegasus aerial surveillance. But the possibilities of MASAI go much further than policing limits—it's about vision and preventing road hazards before they put lives at risk.
And if the trials currently under way bear their steady, fruitful outcomes, Spain itself could soon be a model of wise, sustainable infrastructure for the entire continent of Europe. It is not much time before the highway beneath our tires not only carries us forward but protects us from harm—a silent guardian integral to the road itself.
By Bitumenmag
Asphalt, Bitumen, Technology
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