British motorists will soon have access to live roadwork updates on navigation applications, as the government is investing in a new service to offer up-to-date map data.
Street Manager will be a system that provides live information on roadworks and disruptions for map providers such as Waze and Google Maps – with the government investing £10m in the platform.
The new setup will replace the old system that is currently used by local authorities and utility companies, and make diversion and traffic updates much more accurate.
Roads Minister Jesse Norman, said: “Roadworks can often be frustrating for motorists, especially when they cause hold-ups at busy times and delay journeys.
“We want to reduce this disruption and delay, and Street Manager is just one of a number of actions we are taking so that local authorities and utility companies can better plan and manage their roadworks.
“The data opened up by this new digital service should enable motorists to plan their journeys better, so they can avoid works and get to their destinations more easily.”
The government claims that authorities and utility companies will be able to coordinate when work is carried out on roads – helping reduce congestion and meaning they can work together at quieter times.
Street Manager has been in testing since November 2017, and having gone through its alpha testing phase in London, the system will be launched in full next year.
