2017 Ignition Firebrand Award for best application

The Centralised Technical Management (CTM) system for Marseille’s L2 bypass, designed and developed by Bouygues Energies & Services, has just been awarded the 2017 Ignition Firebrand Award in Folsom, California.

Inductive Automation, the company that develops and markets the Ignition product, each year organises an international conference in Folsom, California. Companies from all over the world present their projects that use the product.

Of the 50 or so projects that are submitted, around 20 are selected to go forward and 6 receive awards on a yearly basis. On 20 September 2017, the CTM for Marseille’s L2 bypass was awarded the prize for the best application.

Bouygues Energies & Services, lead firm of the EFE consortium (also comprising Aximum and Egis Projects), led the design, execution and commissioning of the traffic management and safety systems of France’s best-equipped urban motorway. Its facilities include 400 cameras primarily used for automatic incident detection, 500 dynamic signage displays, 200 vehicle traffic counters, 180 emergency telephones and 80km of fibre-optic network over a 10km stretch of motorway.

The L2 bypass is the A507 motorway which links the A7 and the A50. It forms part of the trans-European road network, and includes 8 tunnels representing 52% of its length.

“Several nationwide firsts were achieved by our teams on the project such as the application of the European dependability standard for the safety functions performed by the CTM, measurement of low traffic levels in the tunnels via Bluetooth detection, adaptation of tunnel ventilation to vehicle speed, and detection of abnormal loads and trucks carrying dangerous goods – including automatic recognition of their number plates,” explains Sylvain Nachef, director of the EFE consortium.

The monitoring system also makes it possible to interface with all of the Operator’s (DIR Méditerranée) existing facilities and provides decision-making support in the event of incidents.

Sylvain Nachef, responsible for the design and execution of the traffic management and safety systems for the L2 and Marseille urban highways, Lionel Mazeyrat, CTM project manager for the L2, and his deputy Régis Le Bohec travelled to California to collect the trophy.

“Ignition is a product that is used extensively in industrial and oil-related areas, so it was a real advantage and challenge for us to apply it to a road project as big as the L2,” says Lionel.

“The only two French companies to have received awards from the conference in previous years are Lafarge and GDF Suez. We’re very proud to join this list of award-winners and to shine a spotlight on Bouygues Energies & Services. The award strengthens our resolve to meet the technological and commercial challenges that lie ahead and to continue on the path to innovation and excellence – an approach that has become our hallmark,” points out Sylvain.