The National Highways Development Centre
The National Highways Development Centre is a realistic road, roadside and off-road testing and training environment open to all those developing solutions for the UK's road network.
What is it?
The Development Centre offers a unique opportunity to train and test in a safe simulated motorway and roadside environment. It is also a place to collaborate and engage with National Highways, for sharing knowledge, technology, expertise and experience to solve emerging challenges.
The purpose of the test facility is to accelerate innovation and reduce development risks. This is achieved through facilitating design, prototyping, testing, development, validation, certification and training.
This environment allows solutions to be rolled out to the live road network earlier and at a more advanced stage of development through demonstrating potential benefits and outcomes.
Innovations trialled at the facility could help transform how the UK’s major infrastructure and transportation networks are modernised, operated and maintained
Who can use the facility?
The Development Centre is not just available for teams within National Highways, but also for members of our supply chain and organisations who are working towards our ‘Connecting the Country’ vision.
Work contributing to improving the wider UK road network, addressing the strategic goals of the Department for Transport and addressing local roads authorities' challenges, is also welcome.
Modal with carousel
An aerial view of the Development Centre office
A road safety technology trial in progress
The gantry can be used for displaying and testing messages
The premises allows you to work safely within a representative road environment
What does the site offer?
The site offers:
- 4-lane carriageway for conducting road trials, 400m marked lane length
- emergency area
- sustainable energy technologies to connect to roadside operational equipment
- noise barrier
- cantilever gantry with large electronic variable message sign
- office space including conference/presentation room, anti-static workshop, control room and communal kitchen
The benefits of using the site are:
- removes risk to road users and road workers compared to live trials
- removes potentially high traffic-management costs and high customer disruption compared to live trials
- opportunity to create a bespoke and flexibly configured test environment
- ready access without the constraints of a live road or construction site
Where are we?
The Development Centre is based at the Fire Service College in Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire.
Despite its rural setting, the centre is easy to access via road or rail.
The National Highways Development Centre
c/o The Fire Service College
London Road, Moreton-in-Marsh
Gloucestershire, GL56 0RH
Contact us:
If you would like to use these facilities, please email us telling us more about your project: NHDevelopmentCentre@nationalhighways.co.uk
