Alcatel-Lucent, Thales Consortium Land Contract to Improve Motorway in Poland

Poland's General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) has awarded Alcatel-Lucent and Thales (News - Alert) Consortium an €80 million contract to design, integrate, install and deploy systems that will bring the A2 motorway up to European Union (EU) commercial standards.

  

The Polish government-owned GDDKiA is responsible for managing national roads and implementing the national road construction budget.

 

As part of the project, Alcatel-Lucent (News - Alert) will manage the integration, testing and deployment of a toll collection, emergency communications, traffic management, and a traffic statistics collection system, along the 100-kilometer section of road between Konin and Strykow.

 

Alcatel-Lucent will also design and build a fiber optic communication system, the transmission backbone for all the systems placed along the motorway.

 

“The agreement confirms the leading role of our company as the supplier and network integrator of turnkey solutions for the transportation industry,” said Andrzej Dulka, president of Alcatel-Lucent's business in Poland, in a statement. “Our focus on industry and public sector is strong.”

 

The new systems will improve driver safety and increase auto capacity. With systems in place, motorway end-users will be able to pay toll according to the distance covered, the category of the vehicle, and also pay by cash or by credit card. Further, information will be provided to drivers about traffic and weather conditions.

 

The emergency communications system will include phones located every 2 kilometers on both sides of the motorway, so drivers can request assistance in the event of an accident or technical problem with their vehicles.

 

As per the contract, Alcatel-Lucent will also construct two Motorway Maintenance Centers — Wartkowice and Strykow II — along with the Motorway Management Centers. These centers will be equipped with technology and facilities that enable maintenance and repair of motorway infrastructure.