New system for patching roads from Bituchem

Bituchem’s FortSeal product has been applied to a countryside highway in Leicestershire to preserve and maintain the road surfacing. The FortSeal preservation product is undergoing a trial by Leicestershire County Council in the UK to assess its future potential in positively affecting the council’s road maintenance budget by prolonging the life of the county’s roads.
December 24, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
Fast road repairs are possible with the new Bituchem product

Bituchem’s FortSeal product has been applied to a countryside highway in Leicestershire to preserve and maintain the road surfacing. The FortSeal preservation product is undergoing a trial by Leicestershire County Council in the UK to assess its future potential in positively affecting the council’s road maintenance budget by prolonging the life of the county’s roads.

FortSeal is said to be a quick and effective solution for old and worn carriageways by repairing minor damage and preserving the existing asphalt against further corrosion. Forming part of the 1327 Bituchem Group’s hard landscaping materials, FortSeal increases highways’ longevity while being economically friendly.  Following on from a road preservation seminar given by Bituchem’s Phillip Humphreys and Peter Buckley, Leicestershire Council approved a trial site for the FortSeal product. With increasingly more frequent extreme weather combined with the ever decreasing council road budgets, country roads are susceptible to pot holes and cracking surfaces which pose safety hazards to road users. If these remain unrepaired the road surface disintegrates further at a rapid rate resulting in the costly process of completely replacing the road surface.

The 1.5tonnes of FortSeal was hot laid by a phoenix spray tanker at a low rate of spread to ensure an even and thorough distribution of product onto the main road that runs through the village of Burton on the Wolds. Andrew Whailing, Senior Technician at Leicestershire County Council, explained, “Councils across the UK are having to find new and innovative ways of maintaining their highway network to achieve the same high standard of roads but with reduced resources. As such the focus is on a proactive approach towards preservation of existing assets rather than reactive work such as resurfacing. The FortSeal product allows us to apply a protective coating to the entire road surface, extending the life of the road surface and any repairs previously carried out. We are very pleased with the initial application of FortSeal and will now carefully monitor its performance. If the trial suggests that FortSeal provides a cost-effective means of extending the life of the surface, then we anticipate applying it to other roads in Leicestershire.”

The preservation material works to seal the surface to prevent effects of oxidisation and ravelling which helps to stop or slow down further deterioration. FortSeal is extremely durable and can withstand the challenges that moisture, heavy snow and gritting present whilst being able to seal minor cracks in the existing asphalt surface.

By using the FortSeal system, costly and time consuming road surfacing is not necessary, allowing councils to save money ensuring the roads are maintained to a high standard. The resealing of asphalt with the FortSeal emulsion also gives a fresh, blackened look that is identical to newly laid roads, adding to the aesthetic preservation of the highways.

Maintenance

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bridge and tunnel concrete testing vital for longevity
    July 9, 2012
    Modern technology is making testing more efficient and reliable, increasing productivity and reducing costs, as Patrick Smith reports A few years ago, visual inspection of an 18-year-old bridge by ARRB in Australia identified considerable cracking in the precast, prestressed deck planks as well as in the cast in situ deck overlay. Laboratory examination indicated that the deck planks and the deck overlay were suffering from a strong case of alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR). Testing of concrete cores drilled
    Read More
  • Review sheds light on council switch off
    April 23, 2012
    A UK local authority highways chief has pledged not to introduce a blanket night time switch off of street lighting in one English county following an in depth review of the operation. But Staffordshire County Council says it will work with any parish council that would like to reduce some of its lighting overnight, as long as the move is supported by the community. The review also revealed that US$12.9million could be saved over the next 16 years by installing hi-tech dimming equipment in the columns whic
    Read More
  • Concrete highway linking Mexico with US
    March 17, 2016
    A new concrete surface has been constructed along the busy Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway in Mexico. This route is of prime importance both for Mexico and its neighbour, the US, as it is the main export-import route between the two countries. Located in northeast Mexico, the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway connects Mexico with the state of Texas in the United States. The route carries 52% of Mexico’s imports and exports and is crucial to the country’s economy, as well as for that of the US. CEMEX Mexic
    Read More
  • 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.
    Read More

Highlighted Content