In 2013, Bolton Borough Council contracted Miles Macadam to resurface Fletcher Street in Bolton. The carriageway is a thoroughfare connecting an industrial estate with the A579 so is susceptible to heavy traffic volumes, including HGV’s and buses. In particular, the northern end of the street was in crucial need of resurfacing as the existing material was displaying significant joint failure and aggregate loss caused by HGV traffic navigating two tight corners. The shear forces generated during low-speed bends often causes an unalignment and weakening to the surface course, leading to deterioration, and cracking.

The contract included planing off the existing material comprising of bituminous construction and resurfacing with 40mm of our specialist Asphaltic Grouted Macadam, Milepave™. With amplified traffic loadings, conventional surfacing materials tend to deteriorate well before their design life. To counter this, the Milepave™ Grouted Macadam system consists of a 14mm aggregate matrix with a greater aggregate interlock than conventional materials, providing greater durability. The secondary sealing of the surface with a liquid asphaltic grout significantly prolongs the life of the material by creating an impermeable barrier to water ingress, high resistance to stone loss and further reinforces the surface strength.

Upon inspection in 2022, the surface integrity of the carriageway showed no signs of aggregate loss or fretting despite the continued heavy traffic loadings and sustained shear forces developed by the HGV’s. Despite nearly 10 years on a high stress application, Milepave™ has eradicated the deterioration issues previously evident with the conventional surfacing material and ensured a durable, long-lasting solution for Bolton Borough Council and its road users.