VolkerHighways has used WJ Group’s retexturing expertise to raise skid resistance levels across a local council’s area through an innovative shot blast surface retexturing system, while cutting the carbon emissions needed.
The technique fires small steel shots at the road surface to improve the macro and micro texture of the surface, as an alternative to resurfacing the road.
Working for West Berkshire Council, VolkerHighways used the technique across 10,000 square metres of road, which it said restored its skid resistance to the same or better level as when it was first laid.
It added that this helped reduce the carbon dioxide produced by over 50,000kg, and saved approximately 1,000 tonnes of virgin aggregate, with West Berkshire Council saving more than £200,000 when compared to conventional resurfacing methods.
Operations director Kunle Kolaru said: ‘WJ’s retexturing solution is another tool that can help support our clients by maintaining their roads to a high standard, with ever decreasing budgets.
‘At VolkerHighways, we are always looking for innovative ways to reduce the amount of carbon produced, while ensuring value for money and without compromising quality. We're glad to have partnered with WJ Textureblast to deliver this sustainable project.’
Matt Lowe, director for WJ South West’s retexturing division, said: ‘We have been working in West Berkshire for over 10 years, and it’s great to see the benefits we continue to bring to the team. This year, we have been proud to show the level of carbon saving that can be achieved through the use of retexturing when compared to resurfacing.
‘What’s more, our team worked seamlessly with VolkerHighways, where we were able to cover up to 4,000 square metres a day. This meant that road users faced minimum disruption to their journeys and roads were ready for traffic immediately upon completion.’
