Road to East Midlands Airport gets makeover
WORK to ensure a smoother journey for motorists travelling to East Midlands Airport has been completed with minimum disruption to drivers – and to the environment.
The resurfacing work was carried out over two weeks in November on the A453 Ashby Road by contractors Hanson on behalf of Leicestershire County Council.
As part of the council’s drive to be cleaner and greener, the work included reducing carbon emissions where possible, as well as using recycled materials.
In the initial stages of the work the old damaged road surface was planed off and removed and the waste material then taken to a quarry for recycling, to be used in other road schemes.
The number of lorry movements was kept to a minimum, with vehicles delivering new materials to the site, then being filled with the waste material.
Part of the resurfacing work was carried out using a warm mix asphalt surface material, which is more environmentally friendly than the traditional hot method as it reduces the use of fossil fuels and provides emission savings – and is equally durable. Another advantage of using this method is that it is less time-consuming and meant the roads could be reopened to traffic sooner.
A spokesperson said: “East Midlands Airport is a major distribution hub, so keeping disruption to a minimum was very important, with the work being carried out overnight and in two phases, to allow at least two out of three access points to the site to remain open at any time.
“It was also important to get the work carried out before the worst of the winter weather arrived, as parts of the carriageway were in poor condition and would have deteriorated further during any cold spells.”
One area which posed a particular challenge was the work outside the EMA access junction. This area had ruts and cracks in it and the work included installing reinforcement material into the road surface, much of which contained recycled products. The reinforcement will reduce the need for regular maintenance and the consequent disruption to motorists and local residents and businesses in the future.
Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, lead member for highways and transport, said: “We are pleased to have completed these improvements swiftly and effectively as they will considerably improve journeys in this area.
“We do our utmost to ensure any such project is carried out in as environmentally-friendly a manner as possible and are always keen to trial new ‘green’ and recycled products where we can, in line with our pledge to achieve ‘net zero’ across the county by 2045.”