The Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads (CEDR) has teamed up with Coventry City Council for paving material trials.
CEDR is one of seven projects in ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK. ADEPT is the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport, representing municipal engineers. Live Labs 2 is a three-year, آ£30m, UK-wide programme funded by the Department for Transport that runs until March 2026, followed by a five year monitoring and evaluation period. Seven projects, grouped by four themes, are being led by local authorities working alongside commercial and academic partners.
CEDR is a partnership between Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) (South Campus, supported by Colas) and North Lanarkshire Council (North Campus, supported by Amey).
The trials in Coventry are designed to evaluate and compare a range of innovative low carbon materials under real world conditions. Data collected will be independently verified to assess performance, carbon footprint and cost implications.
Carbon and performance analysis will be supported by Aston University, Colas and the University of Nottingham.
The resurfacing will take place over the coming weeks on:
- Willenhall Lane – from Langbank Avenue to Deerdale Way
- Broad Lane – from the A45 to Farcroft Avenue.
The Broad Lane site will test innovative materials in the binder course, while Willenhall Lane will trial materials in the surface course. Materials to be trialled are:
- graphene-enhanced asphalt – using graphene-modified binders to extend pavement life and reduce maintenance needs
- polymer-modified biogenic binders – incorporating bio-derived components to reduce reliance on fossil-based bitumen and lower whole-life carbon
- lignin-enhanced asphalt – partially replacing bitumen with lignin to reduce embodied carbon and improve resistance to ageing, oxidation, heat and UV exposure
- carbon-negative aggregates and biochar – used within recycled and cold-bound materials to offset emissions and deliver near-zero carbon performance.
Local delivery is being supported by Coventry City Council alongside contractors Balfour Beatty and MacDonald Surfacing and material supplier Holcim.آ
Holcim national technical manager Neil Leake said: “These collaborations allow us to test and refine low-carbon asphalt technologies in real-world conditions, accelerating our mission to decarbonise road infrastructure.â€
CEDR plans to published a case study and summary of initial findings from Coventry’s trials later this year.
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