South Oxfordshire Road Enhanced Using Eco-Friendly Resurfacing Method

A road north of Berrick Salome, near Wallingford in south Oxfordshire, has been recently upgraded using an innovative and environmentally friendly resurfacing technique, thanks to a collaboration between Oxfordshire County Council, Milestone Infrastructure, and Stabilised Pavements Limited.

Pioneering Technique

Known as in-situ cold recycling, this advanced method reuses all existing surfacing material, substantially reducing carbon emissions by approximately 71%. This translates to a savings equivalent to removing over 100 petrol cars from the road for a year. Additionally, this approach allowed the road to be reopened eight days earlier compared to traditional resurfacing methods. The revolutionary technique saved around 227 tonnes of carbon on this project alone.

How It Works

In-situ cold recycling pulverises the existing roadway in place, blending it with foamed bitumen and cementitious powder to fabricate a newly strengthened 300mm-deep carriageway. The material is compacted to restore the recycled layer to the requisite road level before a thin surface layer is applied to seal the surface and render the required skid resistance. Given that this method avoids heating the material and reduces the import of unused materials, it stands out as a highly sustainable solution.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highway Management, expressed his delight at the application of this innovative technique, emphasising its potential to “ease the burden on highways budgets and cut carbon emissions in our projects.” He asserted:

“We know how important the quality of our roads is to our residents, as well as the need for the county council to reduce the embodied carbon of its highway maintenance work. Innovation is at the heart of what our highway teams do.”

Lasting Impact and Local Benefits

The newly surfaced road is designed to endure for at least two decades with regular upkeep. It has also curtailed 564 lorry movements to and from the site, mitigating the influence on local communities.

Phil Raven, Head of Technical Design for Milestone on the Oxfordshire Contract, shared:

“As we look for new ways to reduce carbon emissions within highways maintenance, increasing the use of recycled materials in our surfacing materials is an important tool in Milestone’s plan towards achieving net zero by 2040. This project is a good example of Milestone and Oxfordshire County Council being at the forefront of using innovative techniques to maintain the county’s roads.”

This \u00A3740,000 Berrick Salome project, inclusive of considerable drainage repairs, is part of a series of pioneering initiatives on the county’s roads. It was initiated on 21 August and is scheduled to conclude in five weeks. The scheme, while being a pivotal step toward ecological conservation, also serves as a testament to the collaborative endeavor to boost local infrastructure with minimal disruption to residents.

The full road closure and the signed diversion route implemented throughout the duration of the project are essential to ensuring the safety of both road users and the workforce.