An Oxfordshire road has been resurfaced using a technique that reuses all of the existing surfacing material, speeding up the work and cutting carbon emissions.
Oxfordshire County Council said in-situ cold recycling allowed the road near Wallingford to be reopened eight days quicker than using conventional resurfacing techniques.
The scheme was carried out by council contractor Milestone Infrastructure and its partner Stabilised Pavements, with 1,650 metres of surfacing work completed in six days.
Andrew Gant, cabinet member for highway management, said: ‘This new technique could be another weapon in our armoury to help ease the burden on highways budgets and cut carbon emissions in our projects.’
In-situ cold recycling involves pulverising the existing carriageway in its original place and then mixing it with foamed bitumen and cementitious powder to create a new 300mm-deep strengthened carriageway.
The material is then compacted to return the recycled layer back to the required road level before a thin surface dressing layer is applied to seal the surface and provide the required skid resistance.
The technique does not require the material to be heated and involves a lot less virgin material. The council said it is estimated to reduce carbon by approximately 71%.
Phil Raven, head of technical design for Milestone on its Oxfordshire contract, said the project was the first time the firm had used the technique in Oxfordshire and ‘a good example of Milestone and Oxfordshire County Council being at the forefront of using innovative techniques to maintain the county’s roads’.
The new road surface is expected to last for at least 20 years with routine maintenance, the council said.
