Recycled asphalt helps cut pollution

Abu Dhabi: Any road maintenance work causes problems due to road closures and pollution in the form of dust and construction waste.

But an initiative to use recycled asphalt (a black sticky substance used to make roads) in road maintenance work in Abu Dhabi has started to minimise such problems, as well as helping the economy with a cost reduction of up to 30 per cent, a senior official said yesterday in the capital.

A pilot project started three months ago to carry out maintenance of the Ajban-Sweihan road, near Al Shahama, using recycled asphalt has been successful, Abdullah Saeed Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of the Infrastructure and Assets Sector at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, said.

"It will be extended to other road maintenance projects as well," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Geosynthetics (environment-friendly materials) Middle East Conference 2011.

Sustainable material

The two-day event is organised by the German Plastics Centre SKZ in collaboration with the German Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City. It aims to promote commitment to sustainable infrastructure.

Al Shamsi said the municipality will soon make it mandatory to use "recycled crush aggregates" in road construction. "We also consider regulations to prompt the use of sustainable materials in the construction of infrastructure projects; it will help the economy and the environment," he said.

Al Shamsi said the Ajban-Sweihan road maintenance project required minimum road closure, minimising inconvenience to the public.

Asphalt was recycled on the spot by a machine using technology known as "cold asphalt mixing" and used for maintenance, he said. Only a small portion of the work needed new material, he explained.

Earlier, damaged roads used to be demolished and tonnes of waste dumped in landfills, causing a major environmental impact, he said. But no waste was dumped in landfills from the Ajban-Sweihan maintenance project, Al Shamsi said.

He said the sustainable material industry has a lot of prospects. The recently installed LED [light-emitting diode] lights on Salam Street is a good example.

"The initial cost of LED lights is comparatively more than sodium lamps but we can make huge cash savings due to lower maintenance costs and electricity bills," said Ahmad Al Khadhar Al Hosani, Senior Project Manager, Roads Department at the municipality.

The municipality will focus on infrastructure projects in residential areas on the outskirts of the city in 2012, Al Shamsi added,

"We will focus on parks and other amenities in Khalifa City A, Mohammad Bin Zayed [MBZ] City, Al Rahba and Al Samha," he said.

The three parks under construction in Khalifa City A will be completed by next year, he said.

Four parks will be constructed in MBZ City next year, Al Shamsi said. Construction of about 40 parks and playgrounds on Abu Dhabi Island will be completed this year, he said.