Description of Works
FM Conway has been pushing the boundaries of materials recycling in the highways industry by laying a surface course on Sutherland Avenue in Westminster containing 80 percent recycled asphalt.
Traditionally this has been limited to 50 percent for the lower layers of the roads and just 10 percent for the surface courses of motorways and A-roads.
FM Conway has previously worked with TfL to lay Surepave E asphalt surface course mix, containing 50 percent high Polished Stone Value (PSV) recycled aggregate, across 20,000m2 on the A40 in West London.
This marked the first time that a surface course mix containing such a high proportion of recycled material had been laid on a highly trafficked strategic road outside of trial conditions.
Now FM Conway has laid a surface course mix containing 80 percent recycled asphalt in Westminster on Sutherland Avenue, offering a more sustainable method of working on highway projects.
FM Conway’s Aggregates & Asphalt Operations Director, Tim Metcalf, said:
“With the UK’s materials reserves under pressure, we need to continue to challenge convention and invest in the re-use of highway arisings. This is particularly important in the South East of England, where the issue is not one of replenishment but of the geologically scarcity of high PSV aggregates needed for highway projects. At the same time, advances in the refining industry are cutting the supply of another crucial highway resource, bitumen.”
FM Conway Aggregates & Asphalt Operations Director - Tim MetcalfWith the UK’s materials reserves under pressure, we need to continue to challenge convention and invest in the re-use of highway arisings.
Working in the centre of London is a busy and challenging task, largely in part to the high footfall and number of vehicles traversing the area on a daily basis.
Due to the amount of traffic travelling through the city, there is a constant need for the roads to be resurfaced and with it comes all the waste and transport movements that accompany a project in the construction industry.
FM Conway has now utilised surface course mixes with a higher percentage of recycled material as an alternative to traditional methods, offering a more sustainable and environmentally friendly solution.
Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for City Management and Highways, Tim Mitchell said:
“It’s terrific that we are trialling this new recycled road surface in the city. With 360 million miles driven in the city each year there is a constant demand for resurfacing. Improving waste and recycling rates is increasingly important in Westminster and a top priority for the council so innovations like these must be welcomed.”
As part of FM Conway’s self-delivery model, we have a network of asphalt and aggregate recycling and manufacturing plants that serve London and the South of England.
This project has shown that we have the ability to produce asphalt with a high recycled content and a low carbon footprint, offering a more sustainable solution to our working practices.
Tim Metcalf added: “We’re proud to be working with Westminster City Council in this latest venture to show that high levels of recycled asphalt can and should be safely incorporated into all layers of our roads, helping us to recover precious raw materials like aggregates and bitumen.”
FM Conway’s expertise in recycled materials has enabled an asphalt surface course containing 50% recycled content to be laid for the first time on the UK’s strategic road network (SRN).
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