en.Wedoany.com Reported - Heidelberg Materials UK has signed a 12-month road maintenance framework agreement with North Yorkshire Highways to supply approximately 35,000 tonnes of asphalt for the maintenance and improvement of the county's road network.

The contract was awarded following a competitive tender, with the first project being the resurfacing of High Street in Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire. Heidelberg Materials UK is employing low-carbon asphalt solutions in the project, including its CarbonLock biogenic asphalt and locally sourced aggregates from its Coldstones quarry. The asphalt is produced and supplied by the company's Pateley Bridge asphalt plant, located on the quarry site and 4.8 kilometres from High Street. Work is carried out at night to minimise disruption.

James Playford, Regional Director for Aggregates, Asphalt, and Recycling at Heidelberg Materials UK, stated that the project was technically challenging due to the presence of cobblestones beneath the asphalt in some areas and the steep gradient of High Street. He noted that due to reduced planned depth, the company's Tufflex Stress Absorbing Membrane Interlayer (Sami) solution was used in the binder course to optimise durability; to provide the required high skid resistance, the Tufflex D surface course incorporated aggregates with a Polished Stone Value (PSV) of 68.

Both the binder course and surface course Tufflex asphalt utilise CarbonLock. Heidelberg Materials UK states that this material contains biomass in the binder, which absorbs and stores atmospheric carbon dioxide throughout its lifespan. Even when recycled at the end of its life, the carbon dioxide is permanently locked within the asphalt, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of the asphalt.

Ian Farley, Asphalt Area Sales Manager at Heidelberg Materials UK, said that North Yorkshire Highways wanted the asphalt to be supplied from the company's Pateley Bridge plant due to its proximity to the project site. As the plant is located within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the company obtained approval from North Yorkshire Council to supply asphalt at night outside normal permitted hours, rather than supplying it from the Leeds asphalt plant 46 kilometres away.

James Cox, Commercial Manager at North Yorkshire Highways, stated that close collaboration with Heidelberg Materials UK throughout the specification process allowed them to explore a range of material options and identify a solution that met the project's technical requirements. The support and collaborative approach provided by the company throughout the process helped ensure the successful delivery of the project.