Across North America, our roads play a crucial role in our infrastructure,
and the state of our roads impacts everyone and everything — from people’s
ability to socialize or get where they need in emergencies to a business’s
supply chain. Without adequate roads, we cannot reach our destinations safely
and efficiently.
Yet, according to the American Society of Civil
Engineers, growing wear and tear on our
nation's roads has left 43 percent of our public roadways in poor or mediocre
condition — a number that has remained stagnant over the past several years.
Since the passing of the Biden Administration’s infrastructure bill, nearly
$400 billion in funding for infrastructure-related
projects
has been announced.
With our roads’ integrity more crucial than ever, it’s time to advance progress
on this critical infrastructure.
Premium materials are foundational for performance
By 2035, highway usage (and shipping by truck) is expected to
double
— leaving US drivers to spend an average of 160 hours a year in traffic. More
importantly, with increasing heavy-duty vehicle traffic, roadways will wear down
even faster — resulting in cracks and ruts. Therefore, North American roadways
need pavement that combines exceptional durability with ease of application.
Leveraging cutting-edge materials that offer outstanding durability —
effectively combating rutting, cracking and fatigue — will be critical to
ensuring safe roads resistant to potholes and washouts. For example, Dow’s
multi-functional elastomer, ELVALOY™ Reactive Elastomeric
Terpolymers (RET),
produces polymer-modified asphalt (PMA) that can withstand heavy traffic
loads and variable weather conditions over time.
Third parties — including government agencies, industry groups and universities
— have produced extensive test data demonstrating that ELVALOY™ RET has
equivalent or improved performance versus traditional polymer modifiers such as
block styrenic elastomers at lower dosages. ELVALOY™ RET slows down pavement
deformation and resists damage from low and high temperatures and moisture,
making it an investment for the long term.
However, advancing our roadways shouldn’t stop at performance. With continued
emphasis on creating a sustainable future, we can create roads that are not only
durable and resilient but that also promote circularity.
Driving circularity through PCR roads
As society continues to prioritize reducing its carbon footprint and the amount
of waste in landfills, post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics in
asphalt are becoming a popular alternative to the more traditional ones. After
all, the benefits are clear: reduced energy consumption, resurfacing needs and
greenhouse gas emissions given the replacement of bitumen that would be used in
road
asphalt,
as well as a second life for plastic waste.
Seeing the possibilities, Dow has continued to innovate its materials to address
this need. For example, blending ELVALOY™ RET and polyethylene-rich PCR plastic
with asphalt enables the creation of extremely durable, recycled
polymer-modified asphalt (RPMA). Using RPMA to construct robust roads
completes the cycle by transforming plastic waste into long-lasting roadways.
However, the adoption of asphalt with PCR plastics will be a huge undertaking
and will take collaboration across the asphalt industry and beyond.
Understanding this, Dow is working with government agencies, pavement developers
and research institutions to advance the use of recycled plastic waste in road
building processes.
In 2023, Dow joined the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA)’s
Road Forward initiative,
which aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions for the asphalt pavement
industry. The company’s support will help fund NAPA’s ongoing research and
education to aid the US asphalt industry in producing net-zero carbon-emission
asphalt production and construction by 2050.
Repairs and reconstruction are critical for improving the state of our country’s
infrastructure. Dow’s technology can enhance road integrity, increase roads’
lifespan and pave the way for a circular economy. With our partners, we’re on
the road to revolutionizing the way we build and maintain transportation
infrastructure today to endure for tomorrow.
Technical Service & Development Scientist in Infrastructure
Dow
Published Apr 16, 2024 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST