Driving smart road construction
The M23 smart motorway project aims to increase the road capacity efficiently and sustainably, with technology as a key element to manage traffic and road safety.
The works our teams in the UK have been involved in included widening of the carriageway to achieve the all lane running requirement, full depth reconstruction of the hard shoulder, central reserve works and collaborative completion of junctions 9,10 and lane four surfacing to enable the road to open for traffic. In just 1 month, Aggregate Industries Uk laid 52,000 tonnes of asphalt while recycling 100 of the old waste material from the pre-existing road. A proportion of the material will also be used, where possible, in Aggregate Industries’ larger asphalt plants within its materials. As a result of the close proximity of the recycling facility, less haulage was required reducing the project’s carbon emissions.
In addition to the logistical, technical and time requirements, the AI UK teams also had to quickly adapt to a new working environment due to the Covid-19 pandemic - planning out stringent working arrangements in accordance with social distancing guidelines. The project is a great example of collaboration, engaging with external stakeholders across the supply chain to ensure the tight deadlines were met, resulting in breaking industry records to not only complete on time but ahead of schedule.
