Oxfordshire County Council has announced a further trial of a graphene-enhanced asphalt - after an earlier 2019 test found the material could increase a road's lifespan by 165% compared to conventional resurfacing methods.
The highway authority is carrying out the new trial in North Street, Middle Barton, with its contractor Milestone Infrastructure and their partner Aggregate Industries to develop the use of the material, which is called Gipave.
North Street is the third Oxfordshire site to trial the material.
A 725-metre stretch of the road will be laid with Gipave, while an adjacent length of road will be resurfaced using conventional high performance asphalt, so that the two surfaces can be compared.
Gipave is estimated to be roughly 10%-15% more expensive than conventional materials, although as the material is still being trialled there is no off-the-shelf upfront cost.
It follows a successful pilot scheme in Curbridge in 2019 – the first use of the product in the UK – and a trial on Oxford’s Marsh Lane in March 2022.
Analysis of the original trial site showed the new asphalt material is forecast to increase the lifespan of the asphalt pavement by around 165% compared to conventional resurfacing methods, with a corresponding carbon saving of 40% over 20 years.
Cllr Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highway management, said: 'Innovation is at the heart of what our highway teams do, as we have shown with previous Gipave trials and our recent event in Steventon where Milestone tested seven different pothole repair methods on the same road.
'Increasing the lifespan of road surfaces will reduce the need for resurfacing work, ease the burden on highways budgets, and cut carbon emissions for the life cycle of a stretch of road.'
Phil Raven, head of technical design for Milestone on the Oxfordshire Contract, said: 'As we look for new ways to reduce carbon emissions within highways maintenance, developing materials that last longer is an important part of Milestone’s plan towards achieving net zero by 2040.'
Developed by Iterchimica, Gipave also uses waste plastics which would not normally be recycled. Oxfordshire CC said the asphalt containing Gipave 'can itself be entirely recycled'.
The Middle Barton scheme is a £450,000 resurfacing project which also includes kerb and drainage repairs. The scheme started on 17 July and is planned to last for four weeks.
Graphene is 'the world’s first two-dimensional material', many more times stronger than steel, more conductive than copper and one million times thinner than a human hair.
