For the first time in Brabant, asphalt has been completely reused on site. The first is for the Oude Heijningseweg in Heijningen, which will receive new asphalt made from the old layer. It’s a test. Nevertheless, the expectations of the municipality of Moerdijk and contractor BAM Infra are high.
A milling cutter removes the old pavement up to thirteen centimeters deep. The granulate is then mixed with a binder and cement and immediately spread over the road surface. “So everything that is milled here immediately goes into the new layer,” explains road manager Diana Kaasenbrood of the municipality of Moerdijk.
“Here, 97 percent is reused and also in the same place.”
The new method is much more sustainable than the traditional way in which the milled material must first be processed in an asphalt plant. “There it is heated and mixed with thirty percent new minerals. Here, 97 percent is reused and also in the same place,” explains Marco Oosterveld of the road construction company.
He continues: “We have lower fuel costs. Moreover, we do not need new minerals. They normally come from abroad because we don’t have mountains with quarries here. The road in Heijningen is its own quarry.”
The Oude Heijningseweg is not a busy thoroughfare. For that reason, the road is a perfect place for the test. “We have to do research for a few more years and who knows that we can also apply it to highways after that. But they have to meet other requirements.”
“The road is expected to last 20 years.”
Diana Kaasenbrood: “We have confidence in this method, which is already being used in other countries. Together with the contractor, we will carry out annual checks to monitor quality. The road is expected to last twenty years.”