Photo: VolkerVessels
The Romans might have built the first roads for overland movement of army troops, slaves and officials, but the future might come from the Netherlands. The good ol' asphalt could soon be replaced by recycled plastic if Dutch company VolkerVessels goes ahead with their plans for revolutionizing the road network.
Don't get your hopes up just and don't jump the critics' bandwagon just yet, because so far the project has only been sketched on paper. However, the company thinks a road made of plastic will pave the way (pun intended) for power generation, quiet road surfaces, and modular construction.
Also, the PlasticRoad features a hollow space what can be used to house cables, pipelines or a rainwater draining system. The hollow plastic structure can be easily integrated on a surface of sand, just like playing with lego pieces on the beach, but in a more responsible way.
Safety tests
The next step for the company is to build an experimental section for the PlasticRoad and test it the lab, to make sure the surface is safe in wet or in slippery conditions.
Despite being produced from recycled material, the PlasticRoad is thought to be three times stronger than traditional asphalt roads, therefore, less likely to crack and pothole-free.
Regarding price, we're sure the PlasticRoad would cost more money than your usual asphalt road, but given its durability, the investment should show its worth on the long term, according to its makers:
"PlasticRoad is a virtually maintenance free product. It is unaffected by corrosion and the weather. The road structure handles temperatures as low as -40 degrees and as high as 80 degrees Celsius with ease. It is also much more resistant to chemical corrosion. Estimations predict that the lifespan of roads will be tripled. That means less road maintenance and less to no traffic jams and detours."
Despite being produced from recycled material, the PlasticRoad is thought to be three times stronger than traditional asphalt roads, therefore, less likely to crack and pothole-free.
Regarding price, we're sure the PlasticRoad would cost more money than your usual asphalt road, but given its durability, the investment should show its worth on the long term, according to its makers:
"PlasticRoad is a virtually maintenance free product. It is unaffected by corrosion and the weather. The road structure handles temperatures as low as -40 degrees and as high as 80 degrees Celsius with ease. It is also much more resistant to chemical corrosion. Estimations predict that the lifespan of roads will be tripled. That means less road maintenance and less to no traffic jams and detours."
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