An innovative treatment to help extend the lifespan of the road network has been trialled for the first time in Scotland by Aberdeenshire Council.
Road maintenance and repair specialists Velocity installed the preservative treatment ‘Rhinophalt’ on a mix of residential, rural and A-roads across six sites in Central and South Aberdeenshire.
Rhinophalt is a unique product that locks-in the current condition of the road, preventing deterioration. Containing Gilsonite, a naturally occurring bitumen, Rhinophalt penetrates the road surface to depths of 30mm, setting hard in any microcracks and air voids to prevent the ingress of water and oxidisation of the carriageway. Once treated, deterioration is prevented for a period of up to five years.
In Aberdeenshire, installation was carried out under road closures at night to minimise disruption to motorists.
Following a pre-sweep, the product is sprayed onto the road surface with just one pass of the machine, without the need for any compaction or heavy equipment.
As the profile of the road is maintained there is no need to raise ironworks, kerb heights or thresholds which significantly reduces time and cost.
Rapid curing of the product means that line markings can be applied in the same closure window, with the road reopened comfortably in time for traffic.
With more than 3,500 miles of roads to maintain across a wide region, Aberdeenshire Council is always seeking new innovative ways of extending the lifespan of its carriageways.
Philip McKay, Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services, said: “With such a large, rural roads network which is subject to significant vehicle weight and volume, it is vital that we do everything we can to maintain strong road surfaces across the region. There is absolutely no doubt that prevention is better than cure and we are eager to see the results of the Rhinophalt treatment trial.”
Gavin Blogg, Velocity’s business development manager, added: “It has been a pleasure working with the council in Aberdeenshire, demonstrating the benefits of preservation in towards their asset management strategy. Local authorities throughout the UK are increasingly seeing the benefit of asphalt preservation, protecting their network and avoiding costly, disruptive interventions further down the line.”
