Northeast UK debuts greenest Road Resurfacing
In a ground-breaking initiative in the UK’s northeast, three local roads have been cited as the greenest highways ever resurfaced in the country. The project is being hailed as an innovative benchmark for road maintenance practices in the future.
Tarmac, a subsidiary of the CRH company, collaborated with Hartlepool Borough Council, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, and global industry leaders like Shell, Volvo CE, Wirtgen, and JCB. Together, they achieved a remarkable reduction in carbon emissions for the roadworks, slashing them by as much as 80% compared to traditional approaches. Notably, this environmental achievement was realized without resorting to carbon offsetting, making these projects possibly the most carbon-efficient road resurfacing efforts in the UK.
For this venture, the consortium employed a wide array of low-carbon materials, state-of-the-art techniques, and advanced plant equipment. One notable site was a stretch of the A689 in Wynyard, near Hartlepool, and two other residential roads located within the Stockton-on-Tees Borough jurisdiction.
The team used warm mix asphalt paired with a pioneering bio-component binder from Shell, developed from bio-genic materials. This innovative binder acts as a carbon sink within the road itself, effectively preventing the release of carbon into the atmosphere.
Further boosting the project’s green credentials, the surface and base layers of the pavements incorporated 30% recycled asphalt planings (RAP) in the base layer and 20% in the surface. Moreover, Tarmac’s Coxhoe asphalt manufacturing facility harnessed a mix of bio-fuel and electricity.
In a nod to the evolving landscape of vehicular technology, partners such as Volvo and Wirtgen supplied a fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles, including road rollers and an electric bond coat sprayer. Additional equipment operated on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) from Certas Energy, presenting a cleaner alternative to traditional diesel. Moreover, ZappShelter provided storage for materials, reducing energy consumption in the asphalt production phase, while Greener Power Solutions contributed a battery unit to the project.
Commenting on the delivery of the project, Brian Kent, technical director at Tarmac, 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.
“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.”
Ana Alvernhe, general manager, Shell Construction & Road, said: “We’re delighted to contribute towards the construction of the UK’s lowest carbon road using our biogenic bitumen. Shell bitumen CarbonSink ensures that the carbon captured in the biogenic material remains locked in the bitumen and asphalt, turning the road into a technical carbon sink. This scheme is an excellent example of the supply chain working together towards the journey to net zero.”
Councillor Mike Young, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, 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.
“Schemes such as this reflect the Council’s determination to reduce its carbon footprint to help tackle the causes of climate change. We are committed to becoming a “Net Zero” emissions authority by working in partnership with a range of stakeholders. To help us achieve this, we are currently developing a strategy and action plan. This is building on work we are already delivering in a number of key areas such as home energy efficiency and renewables.”
Councillor Clare Gamble, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We’re so pleased to be the first area in the country to have the lowest carbon emission roads as schemes like this are a big part of our commitment to achieve a Net Zero future.
“The Council is always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and do all we can to help fight climate change including things like more environmentally sustainable road networks. We’ve made significant progress across several environmental measures, having reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 60 per cent over the past ten years.
“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. It will benefit people in our Borough for many generations to come.”
Darren Fitch, head of market area GB, Ireland, Benelux and Iceland, Volvo CE, said: “We at Volvo CE need to do our part – by producing sustainable construction equipment and charging solutions – but policymakers and authorities must also do their part to support the decarbonisation transition. 2030 may seem far away, but it is coming quickly and we need action if we have a chance to reach the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. Stepping up and using our collective power – as we demonstrate here with this holistic end-to-end partnership – will strengthen our ability to do more and achieve more for the environment.”
Paul Holmes, Managing Director, Wirtgen Limited, said: “We’re committed to contribute towards the construction of the lowest carbon roads in the UK by providing a production system from milling, through crushing & screening, asphalt mixing, laying and compacting with the view to net zero.”
Andrew Parker, UK sales manager at Greener Power Solutions, said: “At Greener Power Solutions, we are deeply committed to reducing CO₂ emissions. Although we are striving to achieve this goal as an independent entity, we recognise that we can make a much more significant impact by collaborating with Tarmac, CRH and their partners to provide cleaner power to construction sites and road development projects throughout the UK.”
Craig Michel, managing director at Zappshelter, said: “We are delighted to be playing a vital part in this cutting-edge decarbonisation project where the limits are being pushed through new methods and technology in the search for truly zero carbon road networks.
“Together we are aiming to produce the lowest carbon road ever produced in the United Kingdom – a true milestone in a national drive towards our net zero goals, and we’re proud to be involved.”
