New road to make highway rubbery

The UK could be on the cusp of a revolution in road and light-rail construction if a trial of a rubberised road surface made from recycled tyres proves successful.

The Holdfast Rubber Highway uses a system first developed for level crossings. "We’ve already used 10 million car tyres on level crossings and track accesses on the West coast mainline," said Holdfast managing director Peter Coates Smith.

The idea behind the new road is to use the same approach to provide a cheap and quick way to increase transport capacity by capitalising on disused branch lines in congested areas. The 1.8m-long panels, made from rubber crumb, can be laid on top of existing tracks or in conjunction with new schemes, allowing access to both cars and light rail.

The cost of the rubber road is estimated by the company at less than £1.4m per mile and a 300m trial stretch was laid in five days.

"With so many light rail projects under threat, community lines struggling and axed lines lying disused, there is real need for new and affordable options to realise much needed infrastructure opportunities," said Coates Smith.

The rubber road is currently in the middle of an eight-week trial during which a 300m stretch will be exposed to 8,000 vehicle movements. "The aim of the trial is to give a very early indication of potential life expectancy and to test it doesn’t develop gaps and doesn’t move or lift," said Steve Waite, tyres material project manager at government recycling body WRAP, which has backed the trial.

He acknowledged there would need to be a massive change in approaches to infrastructure for rubber roads to become widespread even if the product is proven viable.

Yet Coates Smith said there had been a very positive reaction: "We’ve been inundated by inquiries and the response from the construction industry has been superb. It’s so easy to install – they don’t need to be scared."