More sustainable roads with concrete pavements

When we talk about the road surface, everyone thinks of tar as the main option, although it is not the only one. Nowadays it is also common to use concrete pavements, a material that offers important advantages in terms of sustainability and environmental protection, some advantages that we can see in the infographic that illustrates our entry and that has been prepared by the National Association of Manufacturers of Prepared Concrete (Anefhop).

Reasons for betting on concrete surfaces

According to this graph, there are four reasons that justify the execution of roads with concrete pavements:

• Less global warming. Concrete pavements can greatly contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions caused by road transport.
• Greater resilience to climate change. Concrete roads show better resistance to climate change and extreme weather conditions, for example, in the face of high temperatures.
• One hundred percent circular. Concrete roads are made from local raw materials, offer a long service life and are 100% recyclable. The useful life of a concrete pavement exceeds 40 years with hardly any maintenance.
• Sustainable water management. Concrete contributes to a more ecological management of the water cycle.

Other important benefits

In addition to the advantages related to sustainability and caring for the environment, the use of concrete for road pavements offers another series of interesting advantages, among which we can highlight that it is a material that offers great durability, improvement in road safety and the reduction of costs associated with maintenance. From Anefhop they affirm that the use of concrete would help reduce the usual problem of the appearance of cracks in the asphalt, poor lighting or potholes and unevenness. The solution of these problems would affect the cars that would suffer much less.

The use of concrete in the base layer and in the tread improves the resistance capacity of the track and reduces the wear of the tread layer. This represents great benefits in terms of road safety, reducing the risk of hydroplaning by not producing accumulations of water on the road, which would imply a reduction in the accident rate on roads.

Although the initial cost is higher than if bituminous mixes are used, the long-term cost is lower. Concrete pavements have a much longer useful life than asphalt pavements, which does not go beyond 15 years. In addition, local development is favored, since concrete production is carried out in the vicinity of each work.