Midlothian Council adopts lower-temperature asphalt
Council becomes first local authority in Scotland to use Tarmac’s UltiLow asphalt for its highways
MIDLOTHIAN Council has become the first local authority in Scotland to use an innovative lower-temperature asphalt, UltiLow, to build a series of link roads around its state-of-the-art waste-treatment facilities for Edinburgh and Midlothian.
The council is working on the project in partnership with Tarmac as part of Midlothian’s drive for continuous improvements in sustainable development and carbon reduction. As the first scheme of its kind in Scotland, it marks an important milestone for its potential use across other parts of the country.
Mark Rankine, roads operations and asset manager for Midlothian Council, said: ‘The span of our activities within the region means that it’s vital for us to address the impact of the work we carry out. Our collaboration with Tarmac demonstrates we’re thinking outside the box to deliver efficient, sustainable highways for residents and all road users, and complements our approach to sustainable development within Midlothian.’
Low-temperature asphalt technology has the potential to reduce the embodied carbon of asphalt by up to 25% compared with conventional hot mixes. The principle behind the technology is that lower temperatures are used to manufacture the material, using less energy and, therefore, emitting less carbon. The performance of the material is the same as hot-mix asphalt.
Another key benefit of lower-temperature materials is that they help deliver road projects more quickly than when using traditional hot asphalt. The material cools and sets faster, which means that traffic can be allowed on to the road sooner, reducing disruption for road users and increasing the productivity of roadworks.
Brian Kent, technical director for Tarmac, said: ‘The use of UltiLow by Midlothian is a breakthrough for Scotland and reflects the growing popularity of this solution across the UK as recognition of its benefits grows.
‘We have significantly expanded our network to meet the higher demand we’re seeing, and now have 20 plants supplying low-temperature asphalt. We are committed to delivering solutions that help our customers to improve the whole-life performance of their projects and address UK carbon-reduction targets for the built environment.’
