Earl Shilton bypass on the road to recycling

The Earl Shilton bypass will be Leicestershire’s newest road but parts of it have been created using old roads from around the County.

Nearly 27,000 tonnes of recycled road material have been used in the bypass so far and much more will be before the County Council project is finished.

A further 16,000 tonnes of material has been recycled from other sources such as construction sites.

The County Council generally crushes and re-uses about 25,000 tonnes of stone and concrete removed from roads each year. Nine thousand tonnes of loose chippings are also swept up and re-laid and 3,000 tonnes of topsoil are also used again, helping to reduce the amount of newly-quarried material needed.

Nicholas Rushton, the County Council’s Deputy Leader with responsibilities for Highways and Transportation, said: “Leicestershire is leading the way in road recycling and on projects like the Earl Shilton bypass, this helps us to make huge environmental and financial savings.”

Work on the bypass began last September and is due to be completed in winter 08/09.

During the work, road users can contact the site office on 01455 849 600. For more information on Leicestershire’s road network visit www.leics.gov.uk/highways.

Notes:
In total, the 40,000 tonnes of recycled material used on site equates to over four times the weight of the Eiffel Tower.