themajorityareformedfromcrushedrock, sandandasphaltin a processthatreleasesvolatileorganiccompounds (VOCs) intotheatmosphere.
Inordertocurbtheenvironmentalimpactofroadconstruction, a numberofnewinnovationsarenowbeingtrialed.
Replacingsomeofthefiniteresourcesusedinroadconstructionwithoneofhumanity’s mostnotoriouswasteproducts, allwhilstextendingthelifeoftheroadwayitself, makes a lotofsense.
InIndia, theprocessofmeltingplastictofillinpotholeshasbeenhappeningon a smallscalefor a numberofyears.
Using 3 to 10 kilogramsofwasteplasticpertonofasphalt, andwithroughly 10 tonsofasphaltusedineverykilometerofroadwayconstruction,
thisprocesshasthepotentialtolock-up a considerableamountofwastematerialthatcouldotherwiseend-upinlandfillorouroceans.
Takingthings a stepfurther, DutchcompanyKWS, togetherwithWavinandTotal, havedevelopedPlasticRoad: a prefabricated, modularroadwaymadefromrecycledplastic.
Theproduct’s anticipatedlifespanisthreetimeslongerthanthatof a normalroadbuild-up.
It’s alsofourtimeslighterandcanbeconstructed 70% fasterthan a traditionalasphaltroadway.
With a numberoftrialprojectsnowplanned, includingthisbikepathintheNetherlands, whichopenedinSeptember 2018,
youcouldseeprefabricatedplasticroadson a streetnearyouinthenottoodistantfuture.
Incorporatingsolarpanelsdirectlyintotheroadnetworkhasthepotentialtoturnanotherwisestaticpieceofinfrastructureinto a majorsourceofrenewableenergyproduction.