The Regional Municipality of Durham yesterday said it has paused the rehabilitation of Newtonville Road (Regional Road 18), in Clarington, to verify the recycled materials being used on the pilot project.
It said it wants to ensure the project specifications are met.
The road was identified for an innovative project that uses recycled materials to reconstruct part of the road. Work on the project has been paused until further notice after a complaint was received (see earlier story below).
The goal of exploring the use of recycled materials in road reconstruction projects is to reuse 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, said a statement from the region.
The first phase of the project was completed using conventional methods and materials. The second phase of the project was in progress using recycled materials. This approach provides an opportunity to reuse glass processed at the region’s Material Recovery Facility (recycling processing centre) in regional road programs, it added.
The region said that although phase two has been put on hold until the completion of the verification process, the contractor will remain onsite to complete other aspects of the reconstruction project, such as grading.
Quick Facts
- The Newtonville Road (Regional Road 18) Rehabilitation Pilot Project design—a 3.6-kilometre stretch of roadway—provided an innovative opportunity for road construction.
- Road work was to be split into two phases that would help assess and evaluate different performances in traditional and recycled materials.
- Phase one was completed in fall 2021 recycling the existing road base and using other traditional materials.
- If successful, using recycled materials (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.
“We are taking the concerns brought forward on this project seriously. Regional staff are working with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks as we verify the details of the recycled material used in the road base. The verification process will take time, to allow a thorough review. The paving of the road will not commence until this process is complete,” said John Presta, Commissioner of Works, Region of Durham.