New York Construction Report staff writer
New York City is testing two recycled asphalt mixes on a busy Bronx roadway to determine whether the materials can improve pavement durability while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The New York City Department of Transportation is testing the mixes on the eastern section of Fordham Road, between Webster Avenue and Southern Boulevard, where the agency is also undertaking safety improvements and installing offset bus lanes.
One mix contains 96 per cent recycled material, including 66% recycled steel slag aggregate, a byproduct of steel production. The second incorporates waste plastic, including material recovered from drinking bottles, as an alternative to virgin polymers used to modify asphalt binders.
The steel slag mix could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve pavement durability, particularly on heavily traveled roads and bus corridors, according to the department.
The plastic-based asphalt is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 56.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, or 124,800 pounds, for the material used in the project. It also incorporates the equivalent of more than 1.9 million plastic bottles.
NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said the agency is testing the materials to find ways to reduce potholes and the environmental impact of road construction.
The Fordham Road project includes safety upgrades and new offset bus lanes intended to improve bus speeds and reliability for approximately 130,000 daily riders along the Bronx’s busiest bus corridor.
The department will monitor how the new asphalt mixes perform under New York City’s weather conditions and assess their durability.
