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Study into Heated Roads - 16 May 2005 [No not an April fool]
The Highways Agency is preparing to begin a study into innovative roads that heat themselves in winter, cool themselves in summer and even use excess energy to heat homes.
The Agency will be testing Inter-seasonal Heat Transfer technology near Toddington Services on the M1 from June 2005, in the two year project.
Energy collectors, which absorb heat from the road surface and store it as energy, will be installed under the surface of a service road, adjacent to the motorway.
Stored heat from the collectors can then be used to heat the road in winter, preventing the build-up of ice or snow.
In summer, the process of absorbing heat from the road surface will help to keep the road surface cool and excess heat can be used to heat homes.
Chief highway engineer, Ginny Clarke, said: "If this process proves to be effective and practical there could be real benefits for road users.
"Keeping the road surface heated in winter will help keep the road free of snow and ice, which would mean less disruption and congestion for road users.
"Successful results could also help to lengthen the life of the road surface, which means fewer roadworks and less congestion for road users. There are also obvious environment benefits to heating buildings from the excess heat from roads."
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