Vianen, 26 September 2019 – Last month Royal VolkerWessels road construction company KWS piloted the noise-reducing sustainable asphalt mixture KonwéCity 5 Circulair (circular) to surface a section of test road in Vianen, near the Dutch city of Utrecht. It is the first KWS noise-reducing mixture to contain 50% recycled asphalt, resulting in substantial carbon savings of 33,5%. The pilot is a first both for the municipality and for KWS, which is headquartered at the De Hagen business park where the test road is located. Yesterday councillor Christa Hendriksen and Theo te Beest, director of KWS’s Utrecht office, opened the project ‘Regeneration of De Hagen business park’.
The test road, comprising two sections with a total length of around 500 metres, is located on Hagenweg. Developed by KWS, KonwéCity 5 Circulair is a variation on KonwéCity 5, which has been in use since 2013. KonwéCity 5 is renowned for its unique noise-reducing properties – up to 4.2 dB(A) at 50 km/h – and lower rolling resistance, which means that vehicles using the road consume less fuel and hence produce lower carbon emissions. Both these properties enhance the liveability of the environment in densely populated areas.
33.5% reduction in carbon emissions and horizontal recycling
In addition to the properties set out above the KonwéCity 5 Circulair variant piloted in Vianen is the first to contain 50% recycled asphalt, which means a 50% reduction in the use of primary resources. Furthermore KonwéCity 5 Circulair results in carbon savings of 33.5% (from the extraction of the raw materials through to production at the asphalt plant) compared to KonwéCity 5. In what is known as horizontal recycling millings from old noise-reducing road surfaces are reused in the new KonwéCity 5 Circulair surface, as is the case on Hagenweg.
Laboratory tests have shown that using 50% recycled asphalt does not affect the quality of the road surface. The tests also show that the new asphalt mixture is suitable even for locations with heavy traffic, such as the De Hagen business park. By piloting KonwéCity 5 Circulair the municipality and KWS are taking a joint step towards a more sustainable civil engineering sector in the Netherlands. The development of sustainable products is essential. This asphalt mixture meets client requirements for asphalt that is more durable, has a better environmental performance and is quieter. KonwéCity 5 Circulair will help the sector to make sustainability clearly demonstrable in tenders and to accelerate the transition to climate neutrality.
“KWS is pleased to have a client with the courage to join us in testing our innovations in practice. This will allow us to work towards realising our sustainable ambition: 100% circular infrastructure in 2040,” said KWS’s Te Beest.