Construction major VolkerWessels is looking for partners to take ahead its idea of PlasticRoad, roads made of 100% recycled material.
The company has said that the idea is still on paper, but plans to materialize it in three years.
PlasticRoad is made by turning recycled plastic into prefabricated road parts. Prefabrication and lightweight design make the construction easier, with lesser time taken than the conventional roads.
VolkerWessels said in a release: "PlasticRoad features numerous advantages compared to conventional roads, both in terms of construction and maintenance.
"Plastic is much more sustainable and opens the door for a number of new innovations such as power generation, quiet road surfaces, heated roads and modular construction."
Claimed to be unaffected by corrosion and weather, the road structure can withstand temperatures between -40 degree and 80 degree Celsius.
Suitable to be laid on sand surface, the roads are estimated to have a tripled life span and lower maintenance.
The hollow space underneath the road provides room for cables, pipes and draining rainwater. There are also options for accommodating equipment, such as, traffic loops sensors, measuring equipment, and connections for light poles underneath the road surface.
VolkerWessels is seeking partners from the plastic manufacturing industry, as well as from interested parties to collaborate on a pilot. The pilot will test PlasticRoad's safety under wet and slippery conditions.
Rotterdam city in the Netherlands is planning to pilot the project, reported The Guardian.
