WHAT THEY DO
Proving the case for recycled tyre rubber in roads
FULTON HOGAN – RUBBER IN ROADING
LOCATION
Roydon Quarry, Christchurch
ROLE
Manufacturer – Innovator
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Fulton Hogan has re-sealed a road using crumb rubber from recycled end-of-life tyres in the chip seal binder.
The pilot project was completed by a trans-Tasman Fulton Hogan multi-disciplinary team, drawing on two decades of experience from Australian specialists in crumb rubber modified bitumen sealing.
The pilot section of road was built at the company’s Roydon Quarry in Christchurch using crumb rubber sourced in New Zealand from Tyrewise registered processing partners, blended (dissolved) into bitumen at a rate of 10% by volume.
Fulton Hogan’s Australian experience shows that crumb rubber can be used at rates of up to 15%, improving road surface flexibility and durability. This can help roads last longer and may reduce whole-of-life costs.
Fulton Hogan will monitor the trial, and the results will help inform the future large-scale use of recycled crumb rubber for this application in New Zealand.
“The goal is better surface performance and environmental benefit, and we’d like the pilot and further study to prove this can be successfully scaled in New Zealand to deliver both. By working as one to design, deliver and monitor the trial, we’re turning proven capability into practical innovation that can be tested safely, efficiently and at scale.”
