By mid-2013 the Netherlands plans to have the most advanced highways in the world. They’ll be cheaper, greener, and safer. Thanks to special powders and paints the highways will glow in the dark and the cold.

They plan to replace all road markings with photo-luminizing powder that will soak up sunlight during the day and then light up night for up to 10 hours. Throughout the UK, residential streets and footpaths are having their lights dimmed or turned off completely at 9pm in order to save money. The glow-in-the-dark road would allow those roads to remain lit at a lower cost.

In addition to glowing in the dark, the Netherlands highways will contain weather indicating markers. A special paint will be used to draw snowflakes across the highways that become visible only when the temperature drops below a certain point.

The creator of this concept, Daan Roosegaarde, is trying to spread his idea worldwide. I’ve already mentioned how the UK could benefit. He’s already in talks with India who would love the relief from blackouts. Roosegaarde would love to bring his ideas to America’s west coast where so many innovative ideas have already been toyed with such as Google’s self-driving cars.

(h/t WiredUK via Mashable)