European projects

The 5G-BEAM project aims at ensuring continuous, high-performance 5G connectivity (in the 700 and 3700 MHz bands) along the Brenner Corridor — one of the main cross-border routes of the TEN-T networks — covering over 400 km of network from Modena (Italy) to Kufstein (Austria) and up to the German border.

Funded by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Programme and managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA), the project (24-EU-DIG-5G-BEAM) includes two main intervention areas over the next three years:

• in Italy, a 5G standalone (SA) network with edge computing capabilities will be deployed along the highway from Modena to the Brenner Pass.
•  in Austria, a passive 5G SA-ready infrastructure will be installed to support the evolution of connected mobility — ensuring seamless network continuity from the Brenner Pass to Kufstein and the German border.

On both segments, the goal is to pave the way for future CCAM (Connected and Automated Mobility) solutions.

The Company will coordinate the project and be involved in the implementation of use cases related to:

• Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Network (V2N) communication characterised by ultra-low latency data exchange between vehicles,
  
• enhanced I2V communication focused on the use of 5G, enabling wider deployment of IoT devices for monitoring purposes,
  
• low-latency hybrid V2X communication and infrastructure monitoring via 5G.
  
  

The VERKKO project aims to harmonise and modernise transport infrastructure on the TEN-T network and in urban nodes, and to provide cross-border synergies to bridge gaps in the continuity of ITS services in the EU. The implementation of VERKKO follows the strategies and recommendations of the “Strategy for sustainable and smart mobility” (COM/2020/789).


As part of the project the Brenner Motorway:

• will align itself with the specifications and standards relating to C-ITS infrastructure developments and participate in international and national project meetings convened by the various Work Packages and Task Forces
  
• will be responsible for the development and implementation of the C-ITS service on the availability of parking spaces along the Brenner motorway: to this end, it has identified four pilot sites: the Rovereto Sud heavy vehicle rest area (with a high-definition surveillance system), the Sadobre heavy vehicle rest area (equipped with video surveillance cameras) and the Paganella Est and Paganella Ovest service areas
  
• will develop a platform for real-time traffic monitoring and predictive analysis to improve road safety and user experience
  
• will optimise and improve winter maintenance activities through remote monitoring of salt spreaders and snow ploughs, integrating the system into the C-ITS infrastructure.
  
  

The SCALE project (Strengthening C-ITS Adoption and Lining-Up across Europe) aims to increase the deployment of mature C-ITS services for autonomous and connected driving and to support the technical development and large-scale impact assessments of new C-ITS use cases in 10 different European pilot sites in Spain, France, Italy and Austria.

Firstly, it will work on the extension and industrialisation of the most mature use cases and, secondly, it will develop, implement and evaluate new use cases on specific topics of common European interest.

Within the project Autostrada del Brennero SpA:

• will align itself to the specifications and standards for C-ITS infrastructure developments by participating in international and national project meetings called by the different Work Packages and Task Forces;
• will implement new scenarios of the Day-1 services already implemented within C-Roads Italy and C-Roads Italy 3 and new use cases to create synergies with the urban environment;
• will improve the management of events occurring near motorway junctions by improving the mapping database and creating a new event propagation algorithm;
• will be LEADER of the Italian pilot called ‘Motorways Italy’ involving other motorways, a logistics operator and a truck manufacturer;
• will upgrade its network of road side units to increase the coverage of short-range communication and enable better implementation of use cases;
• will demonstrate the functionality of the system and the implementation of the developed use cases.
  
  

It aims to promote the digitisation of the mobility system, focusing mainly on the CEF core network corridors Scandinavian-Mediterranean and North Sea-Baltic, by implementing digital systems and services along Europe's busiest freight transport corridors. Its implementations will support the common goals of increasing traffic safety and reducing congestion and environmental pollution.

The company is involved in the following tasks:

• Task 1.03 'Cross-border cooperation', within which the "Digital Green Brenner Corridor" technical working group coordinated by Autostrada del Brennero was set up
•  Task 4.10 "Creation of a MaaS integration layer and extension of the infrastructure to reduce pollutant emissions".
  

Creation of a MaaS integration layer

Creation of a management dashboard and a real-time multimodal/intermodal Trip Planning engine that uses the traffic data available along the corridor, exposing the route calculation functions to third parties.
Specifically, the project aims to create a true digital infrastructure capable of

• being a collector of mobility data from motorway concessionaires and the various transport services operating in the neighbouring territories
•  being an enabling layer for third-party services and provide both open data and open services on mobility.

The project is unique in that it aims at the construction of a European digital motorway corridor, bringing together infrastructures and services from different geographical, national and cross-border areas.

Extension of infrastructure to reduce pollutant emissions

The company is integrating low-cost air quality measurement sensors, traffic detection systems (coils/TVCC) and variable message signs (photovoltaic and non-photovoltaic) in order to extend the traffic management measures implemented as part of the European BrennerLEC project to increase motorway capacity and reduce emissions, thereby achieving the environmental objectives of the action.

https://meridian-corridors.eu/

 The "Strategic Plan for the Activation of Sustainable Mobility in South Tyrol" includes zero-emission, ongoing and planned transport projects and services, including those specified in the LIFE alps project (2019-2029), promoted within the LIFE Integrated Projects 2017 call of the European Commission. The aim of the LIFE project is to catalyze the development of a zero-emission road transport system in South Tyrol, along the Brenner corridor (the main European traffic axis) and in the neighboring regions.

The introduction of zero emission vehicles in public and private sector services will contribute to a significant reduction in pollution in the Alpine area and define a path to complete decarbonisation of the local transport system by exploiting local renewable fuels (hydrogen and electricity), using hydropower and other renewable resources available in the area.

By establishing "Model Municipalities", with diversified zero-emission services, South Tyrol will be an example, demonstrating how a combination of early use of zero emission vehicles by public agencies and private companies, together with smart regional policies, is able to stimulate the widespread adoption of zero-emission services at regional level.

An important part of LIFE alps also concerns the identification of numerous actions being complementary to the main project activities: from the installation of electric and hydrogen charging equipment, to the deployment of vehicles financed by a series of public and private, regional and European bodies.

The complementary activities include the use of renewable sources for the production of green energy to be supplied at refueling and recharging stations in service in Bolzano, Merano (BZ), in various municipalities of the Venosta Valley, in Brunico and in Affi.

Within the LIFE alps project Autostrada del Brennero SpA will concretely have two main tasks:

• creating a hydrogen distributor in Verona Nord;
•  as a complementary activity, albeit not co-financed by the project, installing electric recharging points along the motorway axis.

The activity implemented by the Company within the project will contribute to extend the supply of zero-emission services outside South Tyrol, thus contributing to provide an infrastructure, complementary to the South Tyrol one, capable of guaranteeing a charging network that encourages the adoption of zero-emission vehicles, both private and public, in several European regions.


   www.life-alps.eu/it