Waste used to build biggest green road

An estimated 800,000 tonnes of waste material is being used to create a new dual carriageway, new junctions and side roads, making the A30 Bodmin to Indian Queens dual carriageway the largest "green" road project in the country.


Waste used in largest ‘green’ road project

An estimated 800,000 tonnes of waste material is being used to create a new dual carriageway, new junctions and side roads, making the A30 Bodmin to Indian Queens dual carriageway the largest “green” road project in the country.

The Highways Agency – which acts as the network operator for motorways and trunk roads in England – says that to “green” the A30, 90% of the construction material used for the new road and asphalt layers comes from waste generated by china clay from local industry.

This acts as an alternative to the conventional method of trucking in large amounts of material from faraway locations.

Archie Robertson, Chief Executive of the Highways Agency said: “Good environmental behaviour saves money.

“We respect the environment by using sustainable construction practice, for instance to reduce the distance lorries travel while working on our schemes and by recycling waste materials from local sources where it is appropriate across our work programme.”

Other notable environmental benefits of the project include a big reduction in long distance lorry journeys and carbon emissions with less traffic disruption and pollution.

“We are developing ways to reduce the environmental impact of major road projects and improve transport in the area,” Andrew Alcorn, Highways Agency project leader said.

“Our contractors have managed to make best use of local waste material. So not only are we using recycled products for the project, we are reducing our own carbon emissions by reducing the distance lorries need to travel in supporting construction.”

The carriageway is also said to be welcomed by environmentalists because the new road skirts the edge of Goss Moor, a National Nature Reserve and Special Area of Conservation, while a large part of the old route will be turned into an access for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders.

The new road is due to open to traffic by the summer, its busiest period when up to 30,000 cars are expected during the holiday months.

The previous road – which ran in a single carriageway – was infamous for a large number of accidents as well as its congestion bottleneck on the main route to Cornwall.

Dana Gornitzki

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