AI turn down the volume on the A14
Aggregate Industries’ Contracting division lays ultra-low noise asphalt to help curb noise pollution
SECTION 1 of Highways England’s A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme, the UK’s largest road-improvement project, will see 13 miles of the road upgraded to three lanes in each direction and is expected to cut journey times by up to 20 minutes.
The pavement works at Brampton Hut motorway services specified minimum sound level requirements of –7.5dB(A), in a bid to curb noise pollution generated by the new road where it passes through built-up areas.
To satisfy the stringent noise restrictions on, Aggregate Industries suggested the use of their 10mm SuperThin asphalt, which, at 7.8dB(A), by far exceeds the minimum sound level requirements, rather than the –3.5dB(A) associated with traditional hot-rolled asphalt (HRA).
As the only supplier to currently offer a HAPAS-approved ultra-low-noise asphalt, Aggregate Industries are expected to lay approximately 30,000 tonnes of SuperThin across the A14 contract, which is due to be completed at the end of 2020. So far, the team has laid around 2,200 tonnes of SuperThin.
Paddy Murphy, director of contracting at Aggregate Industries, said: ‘As the sole pavement contractor and supplier to the UK’s largest and most prestigious road-improvement project, one of our key aims is to help reduce the impact of operations on the local community and the network.
‘One way we’re doing this is by ensuring that our asphalt solutions reduce excessive noise pollution for those residing in the built-up areas of the scheme. As the only HAPAS-approved ultra-low-noise asphalt available to the UK market, our SuperThin asphalt far exceeds the minimum noise limits at Brampton Hut Services.’
Mr Murphy added that the solution is receiving ‘great feedback’ from the A14 Integrated Delivery Team as it continues to be deployed across the rest of the project.
