Miles Macadam recently completed the second phase of a resurfacing programme in partnership with Luton Borough Council. Luton aim to be a net zero town by 2040, ten years ahead of the national target. To reduce construction emissions, the council adopted a whole life carbon approach when selecting suppliers. Miles Macadam was chosen for its durable, low-carbon materials, supporting this goal. Luton has used Miles Macadamโ€™s low-carbon Milepaveโ„ข grouted macadam in its maintenance programme for several years and, after a successful 2023 trial of the new zero-carbon material Biosealโ„ข, they decided to extend the trial into 2024 in addition to their standard Milepaveโ„ข maintenance programme.

The programme featured of variety roads across Luton, some were overlayed with Miles Macadam’s Milepaveโ„ข which provides a 35% saving in carbon emissions compared to traditional materials due to its lower resource consumption, reduced bitumen content, and more energy-efficient manufacturing process. To further minimise the carbon footprint, the remaining roads in the programme, Barton Road and Birdsfoot Lane, were resurfaced using Biosealโ„ข, a biogenically modified asphaltic grout. This biogenic material acts as a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) vessel, permanently sequestering carbon within the road surface.

Delivered Programme of Work:

  • 22,078mยฒ of surfacing
  • 35 tCOโ‚‚e total emissions

Environmental Saving:

  • Savings of 239.33 tonnes in aggregates and 33 tonnes in straight run bitumen over conventional materials
  • Milepaveโ„ข saved 35% in carbon emissions in comparison to a traditional surfacing material and a non-carbon neutral surfacing contractor
  • Additional sites utilising Biosealโ„ข saved a further 21% in carbon emissions
  • Increased performance and subsequent lower whole life carbon costs

Financial Saving:

  • Designed system to last longer, address specific issues and ensure lower whole life cost