Innovative 'rubber road' resurfaces Stockton-on-Tees street

The new surface at Chilton Close in Hardwick is the first of its type in the North East to be put down by the Council's resurfacing contractor Tarmac.

'SMA' is an environmentally stable surface that offers a reduced carbon footprint and features an asphalt mix using recycled end-of-life car tyres.

Around 500 square metres of the surface weighing 50 tons was laid at Chilton Close last Friday (17 September).

Councillor Mike Smith, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: "I'm very pleased to see this innovative rubber road be laid in Hardwick as new initiatives like this are a big part of our commitment to reduce the Borough's carbon footprint and do what we can to help fight against climate change.

"We've made significant process in recent years across a number of environmental measures, with net emissions from Council activity cut by 51.1 per cent since 2013.

"The rubber from the old car tyres is melted and introduced to the asphalt mix, acting as a glue when it solidifies again. One kilometre of road using this rubber-modified asphalt recycles the rubber of up to 750 tyres that would otherwise go to waste.

"As well as the approximate eight per cent carbon reduction these rubber roads achieve in comparison to standard asphalt mixes, they also offer superior durability and quality, so they're better equipped to stand up to large volumes of traffic.

"We'll be continuing this initiative throughout the rest of this year and into 2022 with a view to using this more environmentally sustainable material as much as possible on our road network in future."