The New I-COV, the concessionaire’s innovative Traffic Operation Center, the nerve of highway traffic on the A4 Brescia Verona Vicenza Padova and A31 Valdastico sections, was unveiled and inaugurated today by the top managers of Autostrada Brescia Verona Vicenza Padova in the presence of Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport’s technical directors, institutions, representatives of the territory, law enforcement and highway safety and rescue workers.
It’s a project of innovation and technological avant-garde for a new concept of intelligent, interactive, integrated, and networked mobility. A team of more than 100 people worked on the project for a year and a half, and on which A4 Holding Group, an Abertis Group’s company, concessionaire in Italy for 235 km of highway network in the north-east, invested more than 4 million euros.
The innovative I-COV control room has been renovated with the latest technological equipment and workstations. It is composed of integrated systems, technologies, and devices designed to enhance the safety and comfort of those traveling on the highway. The new Traffic Management System offers advanced coordination of events, scenarios, processes, and interventions on the highway, providing managers and operators at the control center with a comprehensive overview of information from ITS devices placed along relevant sections. The new software, specifically designed for the needs of Autostrada Brescia Verona Vicenza Padova, provides immediate support in the decision-making process of the new I-COV employees. This is achieved through the use of standardized and customized response procedures, which enables optimization and reduction of response and intervention times.
To further enhance the performance of the I-COV and enable it to better meet the technological and management challenges associated with the shift to the connected and cooperative mobility of smart roads, an innovative Intelligent and Interconnected Mobility platform has been adopted. This platform enables real-time two-way dialogue between vehicles and the highway infrastructure, providing integration with on-road C-ITS systems and traffic control centers. The system features targeted distribution of geolocated messages to enabled vehicles, providing just-in-time information at the appropriate location. It also disseminates messages through conventional information channels such as variable message signs, websites, and applications such as Waze.
The objective is to enhance the effectiveness and timeliness of decision-making at the operations center, enabling more efficient coordination of interventions by traffic wardens, mechanical rescue, medical, traffic police, and firefighters. This will facilitate prompt communication with travelers on the highway about potential slowdowns or hazards.
The I-COV's new technological equipment will also enable near real-time analysis, allowing for the forecasting of traffic conditions and the provision of safety and risk assessments across the 235-kilometer stretch of highway under concession to A4 Holding.
"With the I-COV project, we have created a unique integrated system that manages traffic-related activities and those in the field carried out by our crews of Traffic Auxiliaries and the various emergency response entities with which we collaborate every day," stated Gonzalo Alcalde, President of the A4 Holding Group. In 2023, vehicular traffic on our routes grew by 3.2 percent, and we were able to maintain a low level of accidents despite the more than 350,000 vehicles that pass along our highways every day. The I-COV is now more essential than ever before, enabling us to optimize and perfect all services related to safety, comfort, and security for travelers, which have always been the top priority for A4 Holding Group.”
