New technology cuts the cost of road repairs
Wednesday, 24 April 2019
We have been out and about trialling new technology to repair local roads. The new machine recycles the existing road surface, which both saves money and cuts down on the repair time compared to tradi
The process features a large burner which heats the existing road surface to 200 degrees Celsius down to a depth of 30mm. The road is next levelled by a roller and a hot thin surface is then added, to complete the process.
It is a very quick and efficient method because it reuses the existing road surface, it minimises waste, and provides a high-quality surface which is bonded to the layers below.
Speaking about this piece of equipment Paul Mason, Assistant Director of Highways at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “We are really pleased to be able to use this piece of machinery. It’s really impressive, and benefits both the council and road users. By choosing to make repairs using this innovative technique, we are able to get maximum reuse of existing materials using fewer lorry movements and using less energy, which reduces emissions.
“We have been out using the ‘Injection Patcher’ machine to repair potholes quickly and the ‘Super Vac’ to clean gullies much quicker than normal. This new machine will help us to resurface large areas of road more efficiently.
“This is just another example of where we have used new technology to get maximum value for money. This was the first time we’ve used this machine, and it has been really effective, so we will now look at how we can use it again in the future.”