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The county's
pavements and roads will soon be patched with 100% recycled materials - and the
benefits are not just environmentally-friendly.
A new material is being trialed which is a by-product of the steel industry, and
which has the added advantage of being longer-lasting than the traditional
materials used.
Atkins, which provides highway maintenance in partnership with Northamptonshire
County Council, has been using the Jetpatcher® process for over a year.
The unit, developed in New Zealand, is mounted on a purpose built lorry that
carries all the materials needed to make repairs to potholes, wheel rutting,
edge deterioration and depressions.
Using high volume air, the operator cleans out the pothole or rut, applies a
sticky coat and then blasts an aggregate / modified bitumen emulsion mix into
the road defect. This results in a very durable, long lasting repair due to the
superior compaction that is achieved. Jetpatcher enables a repair to be laid
without having to excavate the defect first, therefore eliminating waste going
to landfill.
Traditionally, the aggregate comes from rocks that are quarried. Now the
aggregate source will be 'blast furnace slag' which is a by-product from the
manufacturing of steel and iron.
Atkins Network Services Manager Gavin Blogg said: "As well as being
environmentally friendly, the slag outperforms traditional aggregates due to its
porous nature, ensuring less chipping loss and a longer lasting repair. It is an
ideal material. Also, we hope it will not only give a better finish but will
last longer and therefore, prove to be more economical."
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