Vaisala to provide Swedish Transport Administration with road weather station network

Environmental measurement specialist Vaisala has signed a five-year agreement with the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) to deliver 600 road weather stations throughout Sweden. The deal is valued at approximately €7m (US$8m) with implementations scheduled for 2020-2024. In addition to the road weather stations, the agreement includes the installation of atmospheric weather sensors and road condition sensors for the detection of snow, ice, humidity and temperature. A series of tests will now be carried out on the equipment ahead of the first deployments in 2020. Kenneth Hörhammer, vice president, weather and environment Europe, Vaisala, said, “Over the years, several studies have shown that road weather technology provides a significant return on investment. This largely comes through operational savings of road maintenance and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) activities, which improve mobility and increase safety of travelers.” Jonas Jonsson, national manager, Trafikverket, added, “Our objective is to be able to monitor and guide our winter maintenance activities as well as manage traffic flow as efficiently, effectively and safely as possible. To keep the roads safe and passable at all times, the pavement and atmospheric weather must be continuously monitored.”