VolkerHighways recently collaborated with WJ Group and West Berkshire Council to raise skid resistance levels to improve the safety of roads across West Berkshire while dramatically reducing the volume of carbon emissions produced to carry out the works.

Over time, traffic causes the skid resistance on asphalted roads to reduce. To tackle this, VolkerHighways partnered with WJ Group and used their retexturing expertise to deliver 10,000sqm of an innovative, shot blast surface retexturing system, which shot blasts the road surface to improve the macro and micro texture of the surface, regaining its skid resistance to the same – or a better level of resistance as when it was first laid.

The sustainable solution fires small steel shots at the road surface to improve the texture, eliminating the requirement to resurface the road.

By using this solution, the team helped to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by over 50,000kg, and saved approximately 1,000 tonnes of virgin aggregates. In turn, West Berkshire Council has saved over £200,000 when compared to conventional resurfacing methods, and minimised disruption by keeping the roads open.

Kunle Kolaru, operations director for VolkerHighways, said: “WJ’s retexturing solution is another tool that can help support our clients by maintaining their roads to a high standard, with ever decreasing budgets. At VolkerHighways, we are always looking for innovative ways to reduce the amount of carbon produced, while ensuring value for money and without compromising quality. We’re glad to have partnered with WJ Textureblast to deliver this sustainable project.”

Matt Lowe, director for WJ South West’s retexturing division, said: “We have been working in West Berkshire for over ten years, and it’s great to see the benefits we continue to bring to the team. This year, we have been proud to show the level of carbon saving that can be achieved through the use of retexturing when compared to resurfacing.

“What’s more, our team worked seamlessly with VolkerHighways, where we were able to cover up to 4,000 square metres a day. This meant that road users faced minimum disruption to their journeys and roads were ready for traffic immediately upon completion.”