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Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Asked by Nick TimothyConservativeDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 5 February 2025UIN 27407

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what low carbon (a) materials and (b) methods are used by Highways England in road (i) maintenance and (ii) construction.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood

National Highways use a wide range of low carbon materials and methods such as using bio-binders and recycled materials in asphalt, stipulating lower carbon concrete mixes in construction contracts, and investing in research and development into low-carbon materials. National Highways also follow lean construction practices and the principles of the circular economy to embed approaches that minimise emissions, including updating their standards - the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) - to include use of recycled materials. Additional information on National Highways, ambitious programme for putting roads at the heart of Britain’s net zero future can be found online (see: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/netzerohighways/) and within their ‘Net zero highways Our 2030 / 2040 / 2050 plan’.

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