Eurovia meets the 100% RAP “Recyclee” challenge on a French motorway

Eurovia says that it has successfully paved a 1km stretch of a French motorway using 100% recycled asphalt pavement – a global first for RAP. Eurovia said that the “fully recycled road”, done in conjunction with its parent company VINCI Autoroutes, is part of a major motorway renovation project on the A10 between Pons and Saint-Aubin in southwest France. The road is the result of two years of research and a partnership with asphalt plant equipment maker Marini-Ermont of the Fayat group. Marini-Ermont
October 25, 2018 Read time: 3 mins
Not a virgin in sight: Marini-Ermont created the TRX100% mobile continuous asphalt plant to use 100% RAP

3281 Eurovia says that it has successfully paved a 1km stretch of a French motorway using 100% recycled asphalt pavement – a global first for RAP.

Eurovia said that the “fully recycled road”, done in conjunction with its parent company 6531 VINCI Autoroutes, is part of a major motorway renovation project on the A10 between Pons and Saint-Aubin in southwest France.

The road is the result of two years of research and a partnership with asphalt plant equipment maker Marini-Ermont of the 2779 Fayat group. Marini-Ermont created the TRX100% mobile continuous asphalt plant that can handle up to 100% of asphalt aggregates that originate at nearby road maintenance sites.

Other partners include the government of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region and PACA Laboratories.

This development represents significant progress compared with the current recycling rates of 50-60%, Eurovia said in a written statement.

The bulk of the supply can be sourced from milling material produced by the site. This would partly or fully protect natural  resources and keep transport logistics to a minimum. It also would cut up 50% the site’s carbon footprint, Eurovia claimed.

VINCI Autoroutes, which operates nearly 4,500km of French motorways, is part of the French global infrastructure company VINCI. The project to use 100% RAP is one of four similarly environmentally based projects that together make up the “Route du futur” scheme launched by ADEME, France’s Environment and Energy Management Agency.

Routes du future is, in turn, part of the Investing for the Future Programme to promote the development of innovative and ambitious industrial solutions to reduce the environmental impact of road infrastructure and support the energy transition in the road industry.

The three other Routes du future project are NOVATHERM, I-Street and REGIC.


The NOVATHERM project, being coordinated by Eurovia, includes working with the governments of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Nouvelle Aquitaine and the Ile-de-France regions. The object is to harness the solar-induced energy of a road and channel it into geothermal or biomass energy for use in nearby towns, be it for street lighting or electricity for shops and factories or social housing heating.

Part of the NOVATHERM work is to explore the extraction of heat during the hot summer months and during winter using the technology to reverse the energy flow to heat the pavement to reduce the risk of ice and to melt snow.

I-STREET is a project coordinated by EIFFAGE and done by TOTAL, French research group IFSTTAR using its fatigue carousel in Nantes and pigment producer PME OLIKROM. The goal is to develop more wear-resistant coatings for asphalt.

The use of “intelligent geo-synthetic reinforcements” – project REGIC – is to inhibit the creation of cavities in pavement. The work is being done by engineering textile manufacturer Texinov in conjunction with Ineris (Institut national de l'environnement industriel et des risques) and the laboratory 3SR (Sols, Solides, Structures, Risques).

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • FM Conway and TfL set “benchmark” for RAP use in A40 project
    November 30, 2017
    Infrastructure services company FM Conway and the UK’s Transport for London (TfL) have set “a new benchmark” for recycling in the highways industry.
    Read More
  • Boral and Global Ecofuel enter the biofuel and bitumen arena
    May 9, 2019
    An Australian government agency has awarded around US$350,000 to two companies to investigate the production of bitumen and diesel from wood waste. If successful, Australia’s state of New South Wales could become home to the world’s first biorefinery turning sawmill residues into renewable bitumen and diesel, according to ARENA - the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. Under the $842,000 million study, Boral Timber, a major supplier of hardwood and softwood in Australia, will explore the technical and
    Read More
  • Cummins completes China collection
    November 21, 2018
    Cummins has showcased a full line of China Nonroad Stage IV emissions engines with the unveiling of the upgraded high performance 8.9-litre L series engine. The unit moves up to 298kW with a peak torque of 1800Nm – an 11% increase on its predecessor – and offers class-leading fuel economy and the ability to run at high altitudes while maintaining power capability. Cummins full line-up of engines for the new China Nonroad Stage IV emissions standard spans 2.8 to 15 litres displacement with a power capabili
    Read More
  • IRF recommends action for greener roads
    July 4, 2012
    IRF's 2nd International Conference on Roads and Environment reveals how to make roads greener, cleaner and healthier, and follows through with action recommendations IRF's Conference in Geneva on 10-11 November, 2008 put three issues in sharp focus: innovative materials to save energy and other resources, inspiring solutions for water management; an integrated approach to noise and air pollution; and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions monitoring, accounting and offsetting. Some 140 delegates from 36 countries l
    Read More

Highlighted Content