Three local roads in the North East have become the lowest carbon highways ever to be resurfaced in the UK, Tarmac has said.
The materials giant said the project in partnership with Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees borough councils and international partners including Shell, Volvo CE, Wirtgen and JCB ‘has set a new benchmark for the way roads are maintained’.
Tarmac said the project reduced the carbon emissions of the schemes by up to 80% compared to traditional methods and that it believes the schemes have the lowest CO2 emissions for road resurfacing in the UK without using carbon offsetting.
The project team combined an extensive range of low carbon materials, techniques and plant equipment for the first time to resurface a section of the A689 in Wynyard, near Hartlepool, and two residential roads in Stockton-on-Tees borough.
Warm mix asphalt was used together with a new binder from Shell that uses biogenic materials to create a technical carbon sink.
The surface course and lower layer of the pavements used 30% recycled asphalt planings (RAP) in the lower layer and 20% in the surface course.
Tarmac’s asphalt manufacturing plant at Coxhoe was powered by a combination of bio-fuel and electricity.
Electric plant vehicles and prototypes were supplied by Volvo and Wirtgen, including electric and hybrid road rollers and an electric bond coat sprayer.
Other plant was powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil, provided by Certas Energy, as an alternative to diesel.
Materials were also kept in stores provided by ZappShelter, to reduce the energy needed to dry them out before producing asphalt. Greener Power Solutions provided a battery unit.
Tarmac technical director Brian Kent said: ‘While this project has delivered local environmental benefits in the North East, it’s also nationally significant because it provides a blueprint for how to decarbonise every element of highways delivery.
‘Our team has shown that it’s possible to significantly turn the decarbonisation dial with new material technologies, cutting-edge plant and collaborative working with local authorities and the supply chain.’
He added: ‘To replicate this approach on every project will require further investment and scaling up of technology across the industry.
‘It’s now important that we take learnings from this ground-breaking project to help inform further decarbonisation across the local and strategic road networks.’
Hartlepool leader Mike Young said: ‘The Tees Valley is an area renowned for innovation, and I’m delighted and proud that we are leading the way nationally – in partnership with Tarmac – with these low-carbon road resurfacing schemes.’
Clare Gamble, Stockton-on-Tees cabinet member for environment and transport, said: ‘The state-of-the-art technology used by Tarmac from development to delivery of these highways has created an environmentally sustainable, durable road surface that will last for years while reducing carbon as much as possible.’
