Skip to main content

Road in Mexico uses recycled plastic asphalt

A trial project has been carried out in Mexico using recycled plastic asphalt for the surfacing.
November 1, 2019 Read time: 1 min

A trial project has been carried out in Mexico using recycled plastic asphalt for the surfacing. The road section is 2km in length and lies between La Piedad and Irapuato in Guanjuato State. The project has been carried out jointly by Mexico’s Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) and Lasfalto, Surfax, Omnigreen and VISE, in partnership with US firm Dow Chemical. The team used around 1tonne of recycled plastic in the asphalt mix to help improve the mechanical properties. This is expected to boost life and durability for the road surface. The team says that the trial offers a solution for plastic waste as well as delivering a better quality road surface. The performance of the surface will be monitored closely. Should the trial prove as successful as the project team hopes, the technology will be utilised on further road projects in Mexico in the future.

Related Content

  • Polymer enhanced bitumen technology improves performance
    July 11, 2012
    As overall traffic volumes increase, the contribution from commercial vehicles with increased axle loads is growing, putting ever more strain on roads and highway maintenance budgets. Highway authorities are looking for products that will be able to cope better and are more cost effective over the life of a road. Technical innovation is the only way to answer this challenge effectively, says BP Bitumen, one of a number of specialist companies involved in bitumen technology.
  • Mexico’s programme of infrastructure development
    September 12, 2018
    The Mexican Government is on track with its programme of infrastructure development for the time period from 2012 and 2018. Work completed includes the construction of 38 highways and 33,000km of rural roads. In addition, 77 federal roads have also been widened and rebuilt. The country’s Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) says that much of this work has been carried out under the PPP model, with financing of around US$3 billion. The new highways stretch for a total of 2,400km and includes urb
  • Managing resource to create more resilient roads
    June 22, 2018
    As pressure increases on the cost and availability of resources, investment in recycling technology continues to grow across the road building industry. To meet its full potential, a greater understanding is needed of material performance to allow the building of more resilient, sustainable and economic networks - *David Smith explains.
  • Managing resource to create more resilient roads
    June 22, 2018
    As pressure increases on the cost and availability of resources, investment in recycling technology continues to grow across the road building industry. To meet its full potential, a greater understanding is needed of material performance to allow the building of more resilient, sustainable and economic networks - *David Smith explains. Over the past decade, the road construction industry has made significant strides in recycling. Reducing the reliance on virgin materials is of environmental importance,