LTA is responsible for managing and maintaining over 9,500 lane-km of roads. A robust maintenance programme is crucial to ensure that the roads remain functional and safe for road users at all times. A critical aspect of the road maintenance framework is the inspection regime, and LTA is currently utilising Video Analytics (VA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify road surface defects promptly and enable swift action for safety-critical issues. Leveraging AI/VA has improved both productivity and detection accuracy.

Inspections also utilise specialised equipment to assess pavement performance, including the Laser Crack Measurement System (LCMS) for evaluating road roughness, rut, surface texture, and cracks; the Sideway-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine (SCRIM) or Grip Tester for measuring skid resistance; and the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) for structural integrity assessments. The non-destructive measurement methods collect numerical road condition to complement visible conditions, providing highly accurate assessments of road pavement performance. These methods involve sophisticated equipment requiring specialised setups and complex data processing.

While this current approach of using AI/VA inspection to detect visible defects and specialised inspection to obtain numerical road condition data has adequately guided maintenance work and planning, recent advancements in equipment technologies, road performance assessment approaches, automated data collection techniques and AI-enhanced data processing methods have enabled LTA to review and expand the use of data to enhance road pavement management.

This project therefore aims to develop the Singapore Road Pavement Performance System (PPS). The PPS shall be hosted on a digital platform that enables LTA to:

1. Understand existing pavement health conditions via a Pavement Performance Index (PPI) system;
2. Recommend maintenance levels and actions required to achieve the minimum road performance level, specify the interventions needed to address road defects; and
3. Via a road deterioration model, predict, prioritise, plan and project maintenance works and required budget for the next 3 - 5 years.

Please refer to the Problem Statement Brief – Developing Singapore Road Pavement Performance System (PDF, 428kB) for more details.

Technical Briefing

A technical briefing will be held on 15 Jan 2025, 9.30am. Please register for the technical briefing via this submission form by 10 Jan 2025, 4pm. We seek your understanding that we are unable to accommodate registrations received after the deadline.

Eligible registered attendees will receive a confirmation email with information regarding the venue for the technical briefing on 13 Jan 2025.

For any queries regarding this CFS, please submit them via this form by 24 Jan 2025, 4pm.

LTA will publish the consolidated responses to the queries before the closure of the CFS.

Submission of Proposals

All proposals must be submitted by 14 Feb 2025, 4pm (SGT/GMT+8) via this submission form. LTA will contact the shortlisted solution providers separately after the CFS closes.

LTA utilises key economic parameters such as Value of Time (VoT) and accident costs in economic evaluations, transport modelling and operations. The economic parameters were last updated in 2015 via a Stated Preference (SP) survey. Since then, there have been significant changes in socio-economic conditions and transport infrastructure developments post-pandemic which impacted commuters’ VoT, sensitivity towards different cost factors and willingness to pay to avoid accidents. LTA is seeking to update the economic parameters via a new SP survey.

Other than updating the economic parameters, the Call for Solutions (CFS) will also include studies such as impact of car parking reduction on car ownership and usage, role of car-sharing services and factors influencing the choice of public transport modes, to allow LTA to formulate planning and policy recommendations to boost public transport adoption.

To address the challenge of the numerous surveys conducted throughout each year, which often requires the recruitment of new respondents, this CFS will also include providing and implementing innovative solutions for conducting longitudinal analysis (e.g. via a Research Survey Panel (RSP)) using the respondents recruited for the SP survey.

Please refer to the Problem Statement Brief – Review of Economic Parameters Study and Implementation of Innovative Strategies for Conducting Longitudinal Analysis (PDF, 348kB) for more details.

Technical Briefing
A technical briefing will be held on 16 Jan 2025, 2.30pm. Please register for the technical briefing via this submission form by 13 Jan 2025, 4pm. We seek your understanding that we are unable to accommodate registrations received after the deadline.

Eligible registered attendees will receive a confirmation email with information regarding the venue for the technical briefing on 14 Jan 2025.

For any queries regarding this CFS, please submit them via this form by 27 Jan 2025, 4pm.

LTA will publish the consolidated responses to the queries before the closure of the CFS.

Submission of Proposals
All proposals must be submitted by 27 Feb 2025, 4pm (SGT/GMT+8) via this submission form. LTA will contact the shortlisted solution providers separately after the CFS closes.

LTA is responsible for the stewardship of over 9,500 lane-km of roads, serving as a common corridor for vehicular traffic, road construction and utility services. LTA has explored innovative materials to enhance the performance of our asphalt wearing course, such as incorporating waste plastics, recycled asphalt pavements and warm mix asphalt to improve the durability of our roads in a sustainable way. While the focus has predominantly been on enhancing the performance of the topmost pavement layer, there is a growing need to broaden the research to encompass the entire pavement structure, from the subgrade to the wearing course.

This will provide an opportunity to advance the pavement design methodology to move towards a science-based (mechanistic-empirical) approach*. This would also allow LTA to address future challenges related to climate change with increasing heat and rainfall affecting pavement performance, the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), and local and regional material supply chain changes which affect material availability and associated quality control.
_{* The existing pavement design in Singapore has been in place since the mid-1990s, originally based on an empirical approach using the UK Transport Research Laboratory's Road Note 29.}

Objective
LTA is launching a grant call to seek proposals to develop a holistic road pavement system for two distinct pavement structure types (namely Focus A and B respective):

• Focus A - Develop durable pavement structures for expressways and non-expressways roads (i.e. major arterial roads/ industrial roads)
• Focus B - Develop a pavement structure with improved construction productivity for busy road junctions and bus bays, where the current standard is rigid concrete pavement.
   

Application Process and Submission
Proposals will be selected and evaluated based on the criteria below:

• Ability to fulfil requirements and KPIs for both Focus A and B.
• Cost effectiveness and practicality of implementation of proposed solutions.
• Project time effectiveness of proposed solutions.
• Proposals that do not fulfil all project scopes will not be considered.

This call is open to all R&D organisations in Singapore including publicly-funded IHLs, not-for-profit research institutions, public sector agencies, private companies, and company-affiliated research entities.

The lead Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Lead Principal Investigator (Co-PI) are responsible for delivering the outcomes of the project and will be required to have a minimum of 9 months of residency per year in Singapore. All work should be done in Singapore, unless expressly approved by LTA. 

All applications and supporting documents for the grant call must be submitted by 28 Feb 2025, 5pm (SGT/GMT+8) to LTA_Innovate@lta.gov.sg. Only documents in Word, Excel and PDF formats will be accepted.

LTA will conduct a briefing to provide clarifications on the grant call on 15 Jan 2025 at the Land Transport Authority (LTA), if a sufficient number of registrations is received. If you are interested to attend the briefing, please register by 10 Jan 2025, 4pm. All registered attendees will receive a confirmation via email by 13 Jan 2025.

Documents for submission

1. Annex C Budget Template (Excel, 41kB)
2. Annex D Project Milestones and Deliverables (Word, 30kB)
3. Annex E Offline Application Package (Excel, 31kB)

Documents for information

1. Grant Call Factsheet – Next-Gen Road Pavement (PDF, 267kB)
2. Full Proposal Guidelines (PDF, 215kB)
3. List of Non-Fundable Direct Costs (PDF, 102kB)
4. Guidelines for the Management of Research Grants (PDF, 99kB)
5. Research Grant Terms & Conditions (as of 1 Jan 2020) (PDF, 146kB)

For further enquiries on this grant call, please email LTA_Innovate@lta.gov.sg.

LTA facilitates the development and use of new technologies which are not within the scope of current standards and regulations through a sandbox arrangement. This allows a safe environment to better understand the use, benefits, and associated risks of the new technologies within our local context. Interested applicants can check out the available thematic sandboxes to submit your innovation proposals.

Sandbox for Electric Vehicle Charging Systems (EVCS)

Currently, all Electric Vehicle Charging Systems (EVCS) used in Singapore must comply with existing standards and regulations, such as the Technical Reference 25 (TR25). Advancements in Electric Vehicles (EV) charging technology have led to an increased number of EVCS deploying new technologies which are not covered under the scope of current standards, even as we regularly update these standards.

A responsive and forward-looking regulatory approach will help facilitate the deployment and development of such innovative EVCS. To achieve this, LTA has established an EVCS sandbox framework where such systems can be trialled in a controlled environment.

Closed Applications to Sandbox

• Electric Heavy Goods Vehicle (e-HGV) Battery Charging and Swapping System (BCSS) Solutions. Awarded to PSA Corporation Ltd and a consortium comprising Strides Frontier Pte Ltd and Ecoswift Pte Ltd to trial and assess the viability of battery swapping for e-HGVs.
• Electric Vehicle Mobile Charging System (MCS) Solutions. Awarded to Power-Up Tech Pte Ltd and Beecharge Innovation Group Pte Ltd, to trial and assess the viability of mobile EV charging forelectric vehicles.

General Sandbox Enquiry Form

For general enquiries about LTA’s sandboxes, please use our online form.

We are able to bring innovative ideas to life thanks to collaborations with industry and research partners! We aim to deliver a safe, reliable, inclusive, cost efficient and environmentally-sustainable land transport system for our commuters.

For example, did you know we are upcycling waste by using waste plastics to pave roads? This is possible with the partnership from Samwoh Innovation Centre, Singapore Polytechnic, and Contec Fiber AG.

Read the article - "Paving the Way for Eco-Friendly Roads" to find out more about this initiative.

Enhancement of Roadworks Application Process using Artificial Intelligence

• Industry Partner: NCS Pte. Ltd.
• LTA User: Road Works Regulation and Licensing Division (RWRL)

On average, there are about 200 to 300 roadworks each day, for installations and upgrading works relating to water, sewer, drainage, power and telecommunication networks. For each roadwork, the agency or private contractor must get a permit via LTA’s Permit for Road Occupation Management Portal (LTA.PROMPT) online portal.

Innovating to Improve Efficiency

To smoothen the process of roadwork applications, we worked with NCS Pte Ltd to introduce the following:

1. Automatic generation of Traffic Control Plans (TCP).
2. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to check scanned documents. Applicants are alerted if anything is missing.
3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) to review applications and provide recommendations for quicker processing.

A Simpler and Shorter Process

With these features, submitting applications on roads with a simple configuration is more streamlined.

Generation of TCPs via AI/ML enhancement system

The Road Ahead

We are now exploring how to introduce more complex traffic layouts and road infrastructure. This will cater to different road configurations and traffic volume.

Viaduct Bearing Inspection with Drones

• Research Partner: Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
• LTA User: Asset Engineering (Infrastructure) Division (AEINF)

There are over 17,000 viaduct bearings along the North-South-East-West Line (NSEWL). In accordance to LTA’s Code of Practice, these must be inspected every 5 years - a process which is currently performed manually. Besides checking the viaduct bearings’ general condition, we also inspect key parameters such as longitudinal displacement and bearing rotations.

The challenges we face:

• Accessibility: Bearings are not easy to reach. They are typically elevated at a height of six metres or more, and found within small cavity spaces or above water bodies.
• Technology limitations: Current commercial-off-the-shelf drones are too large to fly close to the bearings and cannot capture close-up images in low-light. Instead, we would need to use scaffolds, cherry-pickers, and other specialised equipment to reach the bearings.
• Human error: The work is manually done by people. This can result in parallax errors and inconsistency.

Helping Viaduct Bearing Inspection Take Flight

We approached Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to develop a drone to meet our inspection needs.

They designed a lightweight mini-drone not exceeding 230mm in length, that can connects to a ground power unit via a tethered-line. Components are encased within the drone’s body so the pilot can fly it to different heights and access small cavity spaces. This eliminates the need for elaborate setups for workers to manually inspect each bearing.

Automatic and Accurate Measurements

At each location, the drone will take high-definition images covering the entire width of the bearing and a 3D image will be generated. An automatic AI-enabled displacement extraction framework will be run to extract critical infrastructure measurements. This ensures accuracy of the inspection.

Reaching New Heights

The drone system will be used at viaduct bearing inspections for the NSEWL. It seeks to:

1. Reduce the time taken to inspect each bearing from one hour to fifteen minutes
2. Eliminate work-at-height risks and cumbersome logistical setups
3. Allow for inspections to be done both during the day and night
4. Improve accuracy and consistency of required measurements
5. Overcome accessibility issues

We are exploring if the same drone system can be used in other areas such as ceiling inspections at MRT stations and road bridges.

Redesigning Temporary Bus Shelters

• Industry Partner: Shincon Industrial
• LTA User: Commuter Infrastructure Construction Division

As LTA progressively conducts upgrading works to existing infrastructures, it is necessary to put in place temporary structures while undergoing upgrading works. This includes the construction of temporary bus shelters.

These temporary shelters require permits such as BCA Temporary Build Permit (TBP) and Permit to Use (PTU), before any site work can commence. A two-week construction period followed by another two weeks for the demolition process would also be required.

Incorporating Innovation to an Existing Design

A conventional temporary bus shelter requires safety bollards and roof panels to be installed.
 

Bollard footing (left) and roof panel installation (right) for conventional temporary bus shelters

Finished Temporary Bus Shelter

To reduce the time needed and streamline the manpower-intensive construction process, LTA took an alternative approach to the form and design of the temporary bus shelter. Bollards are replaced with concrete barriers and the roofing is replaced with a canvas.

Redesigned Temporary Bus Shelter

LTA engineers worked closely with the contractors/suppliers to ensure that the redesigned temporary bus shelter does not compromise commuter safety and experience. It is also able to withstand inclement weather, as evident throughout a trial conducted from October 2022 to December 2023.

Redesigned Temporary Bus Shelter in Adverse Weather Conditions

Transforming Into Real Benefits

Overall, LTA is now able to reduce the man-hours required to install the redesigned temporary bus shelter by 75% and shorten the installation and removal durations from one month to one week. Due to the large number of bus shelters to be upgraded, the time and cost savings acquired in the construction process will be compounded significantly.

Commuters can also enjoy the upgraded bus shelters sooner, with minimised construction inconvenience (noise or dust) due to the more efficient construction process.

Redesigning the Future

Beyond bus stop upgrading works, LTA is also exploring the usage of the redesigned temporary shelters for simple maintenance works, short term road diversion and minor improvement works that would only require the diversion or closure of bus stops for a short duration.

Enhancing Utilities Visualisation in Construction Works with Augmented Reality (AR)

• Industry Partner: Gammon Bachy Soletanche Joint Venture
• LTA User: Cross Island Line CR116 (CRL AMK Station) Project Team

Excavation works carried out during construction operations entail inherent risks as underground utilities are not visible from the surface. Any unexpected incident from excavation causing damage to underground utilities could result in major service disruptions.

To investigate and verify the location of existing utilities, trial trenches are typically carried out prior to excavation works to identify the details of the underground utilities, such as the type, depth and width of utilities. Information from the trial trenches is then consolidated into a 2D utility layout plan as a reference.

Image of a trial trench (left) and 2D utility layout plan (right)

Upon verifying the details of the utilities, physical utility markers are used to mark out the location of existing underground utilities. However, there are still limitations to this method of identifying utilities, such as:

• Utility markers may be tampered with, or accidentally shifted;
• Critical information, such as utility alignment, is not clearly displayed;
• Clustering of utility markers within the same area may cause confusion; and
• Utility markers are unable to be installed directly on footpaths and carriageways.

Image of typical physical utility markers on site

Using Augmented Reality (AR) to Aid Visualisation of Underground Services

To aid the visualisation of underground utilities, LTA explored and adopted the use of Augmented Reality (AR) technology for more efficient identification of utilities on site.

Using the Augmented Visualisation of Underground Services (AVUS) system, the 3D Building Information Modelling (BIM) that was developed from the 2D layout plan, can be uploaded and viewed on site via AR using any mobile device (e.g. smartphones or tablets). This provides convenient access with centimetric accuracy, allowing easy viewing of the utility alignment on site, as compared to conventional physical utility markers. AVUS also provides easier reference of utilities’ key parameters.

Image of the AVUS antenna (left) and AR visualisation of utility on site (right)

The AVUS offers several benefits over the conventional method to:

• Alleviate the reliance on typical utility markers installed on site above ground (these have inherent limitations that likely present inaccuracies);
• Easier referencing of the utilities against landmarks on site; and
• Clearer identification of utilities information such as type and depth of utility.