Finnish road maintenance project wins global recognition in Las Vegas

The PEHKO 2012–2025 project sets out to increase the lifetime of road pavement and as a result cut down annual paving costs by using new improved practices and policies in asset management. These are based mainly on the technologies of Roadscanners, a traffic infrastructure asset management company headquartered in Rovaniemi.

The project has been piloted in certain areas of Lapland and Central Finland, where annual paving costs have dropped by 10–36 per cent since the launch of PEHKO in 2015.

“The results from the PEHKO project show that, with new technologies and digitalisation, we can overhaul the processes in our road maintenance in such a way that we are able to prevent the increase of the road maintenance backlog and even improve road condition,” says Roadscanners CEO Timo Saarenketo.

The Global Road Achievements Awards recognise innovative road projects and exemplary people in the road industry. The PEHKO project was awarded in the category of Asset Preservation & Maintenance Management during the 70th anniversary gala of IRF in Las Vegas.

The project is carried out in co-operation between Roadscanners, the Finnish Transport Agency, and the Lapland, Central Finland and Uusimaa Regional Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres).