Highways England is accelerating the use of warm mix asphalts (WMAs) as standard across its supply chain in order to drive toward net zero carbon emissions.

The WMAs have been since 2015, through a collaborative programme with the supply chain and extensive research the material can be used freely across the Strategic Road Network (SRN).

They are now asking all those involved in the construction and/or maintenance of the SRN, particularly designers and main contractors, to utilise WMAs as it moves towards net zero.

Shifting to the use of WMAs has many benefits, including:

• enhanced efficiencies and lower production carbon, with CO₂ savings of up to 15% when compared to conventional hot mix asphalts.
  
  
• saves around 61,000 tonnes of CO_2e a year, the equivalent of cutting around 300 million miles of car journeys.
  
  
• saves up to £70 million a year through an increased in shift outputs and can be recycled back into new asphalts.
  
  
• reduced laying temperatures increases productivity by enabling more material to be laid within a working window, reducing the overall time of the work and potential delays to motorists.
  
  
• reduced temperatures reduces health and safety risks with conventional asphalt (i.e. burns, exposure to fumes, etc). WMAs fume generation is reduced by around 50% for each 10°C reduction in temperature.
  
  
• increased durability due to being laid at low temperatures means less construction joints requiring less maintenance in the future, therefore increasing the long-term benefits of the technology and life-time cost. 

This is a big step forward for Highways England that allows us to not only achieve huge efficiency savings but also reduce carbon as we strive for net zero.

Malcolm Dare, Executive Director of Commercial and Procurement at Highways England. 

Shifting towards the use of WMAs is a step towards Highways England to achieve net zero carbon travel on roads by 2050, as outlined in their net zero highways plan.

To read more about Highways England's shift to warm mixed asphalts, click here. 

(Photograph: Highways England) 

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