The End of Potholes? Plastic Roads Are Coming
Posted by Mike Werner on Nov 9th 2016
| If there’s anything I hate more when riding my precious motorcycle is hitting a pothole. It’s not only very dangerous, but it’s also very bad for the bike. But maybe in the nearby future, it’s not going to be a problem anymore. At least, if the Dutch company VolkerWessels have anything to say about the subject. |
| The Dutch company has partnered with Wavin (a Dutch plastic pipe manufacturer) and Total (the French petrol giant) to create world’s first plastic roads. |
| The concept is really interesting, creative and hopeful; create roads made out of plastic instead of asphalt. The concept is called PlasticRoad. |
| To do so would involve taking existing plastics (like the millions of tons found in landfills and oceans) and making very tough slabs of plastic out of them. These slabs can then easily be put down, making solid but lightweight roads. So no more asphalt! |
| But why replace good old faithful asphalt? There are a couple of very good reasons: |
| 1. Cheaper |
| 2. Ecological (getting rid of existing plastics) |
| 3. Lifespan 3 times longer than asphalt |
| 4. More robust against extreme climates |
| 5. Easier to install, replace and maintain (weeks to lay down a new road compared to months) |
| 6. You can fit cables and pipes below the road (today they must go outside the road structure) |
| 7. Less noise when driving |
| 8. Less weight on the ground |
| 9. No more boring black roads, you can now get it in different colors which is great to signal special traffic (bus lanes, bicycle lanes, etc). |
| But currently there is one large drawback that would make these roads inherently dangerous for all vehicles, but especially motorcycles; they are slippery when wet. So that’s a deal breaker, but one the companies are addressing and are on the road to solving. |
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| The first such road should see its first implementation in 2017 in The Netherlands, probably in the city of Rotterdam. The test project will be closely monitored by almost every road agency in the world. |
| If successful, you might be riding your motorcycle on plastic shortly. |
| What do you think? Is this an interesting project? Will it make your life easier and better? Let us know. |
| Click here to read more about it on their website. |
