The controversial Newtonville Road Project has won an award for the Region of Durham.
The road was rehabilitated using recycled materials. Works had to be temporarily stopped and a third party inquiry instituted after a citizen complained that the recycled materials used contained dangerous elements (see below).
At a recent ceremony, Durham Region staff were presented with the Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA) 2022 Project of the Year Award in the Transportation, less than $2 million category, said a municipal statement. The OPWA award was established to promote excellence in management and administration of public works projects by recognizing the alliance between the managing agency, the consultant/architect/engineer, and the contractor who, working together complete public works projects.
Newtonville Road (Regional Road 18), is in the Municipality of Clarington. The first phase of the project was completed using conventional road rehabilitation methods and materials. The second phase of the project used recycled materials on an adjacent section of the same road.
Phase two incorporated several blue box materials in the road reconstruction process; reusing about 400 tonnes of recycled glass in the granular base, and approximately six tonnes of recycled plastics, and 4.5 tonnes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres made from recycled plastics in the asphalt.
This pilot project provided an opportunity to explore the reuse of glass processed from blue box collections in the regional road program. Using recycled materials from blue box collections could help reduce the volume of aggregate materials mined and trucked in for road construction, while possibly increasing the strength, durability and overall pavement life cycle of the road network, said the region.
To learn more about the OPWA, please visit their website at: ontario.cpwa.net.
“The Newtonville Road Rehabilitation Project demonstrates Durham Region’s commitment to innovation by looking at ways to reuse recycled municipal material, while also improving our environmental footprint. This project is the first of its kind undertaken by The Regional Municipality of Durham. It was carried out by studying the findings from over 60 years of experience with nearly 100 pavement trial sections around Canada. This recognition from the OPWA promotes Durham Region as a leader in this industry,” said Ramesh Jagannathan, Durham Director of Transportation and Field Services.
Quick facts:
- The Newtonville Road (Regional Road 18) Rehabilitation Project—a 3.6-kilometre stretch of roadway in the Municipality of Clarington—provided an innovative opportunity for road construction.
- Road work was completed in two phases that helped assess and evaluate the performance of traditional and recycled materials.
- Phase one was completed in fall 2021, recycling the existing road base and using other traditional materials.
- Phase two, was completed in fall 2022, included recycled materials from blue box collections for a beneficial new use.
- If successful, using recycled materials from blue box collections (Phase two) could help reduce the volume of aggregate materials mined and trucked in for road construction, while possibly increasing the strength, durability and overall pavement life cycle of the road network.
To learn more about the Newtonville Road Rehabilitation Project, visit durham.ca/NewtonvilleRoad.