Remember when you were setting up your Hot Wheels track and imagining it were a real thing? Well, you may have been on to something.
Thanks to VolkerWessels, we may all soon be driving on plastic roads. The company is working on roads that will be made of recycled plastic and would consist of snap-together parts, much like toy construction blocks.
Naturally, one of the biggest benefits of having plastic roads is that laying them down will be much quicker and easier. Thanks to the Lego-type construction and hollow space “inside” the road, the installation of cables and pipes, as well as making repairs will also be significantly simplified.
Will a plastic road stand up to the task of having heavy vehicles pressing down on it, different weather conditions and temperature changes?
According to VolkerWessels, absolutely yes.
Reusing the material will actually make a plastic road more durable to harsh conditions, allowing it to last longer and withstand greater temperature ranges. Plastic roads are also able to survive the strain from vehicles and weather with a much weaker chance of cracking and corrosion. Thus, the new roads promise to live three times as long as their traditional counterparts.
True, at this stage, this type of road is just a concept. However, the future may not be too far ahead. We have already seen a solar powered bike lane near Amsterdam and it appears the Dutch are pioneers in new road technology as Rotterdam is eager to try out the plastic road and report back. According to VolkerWessels, this may all happen within the next 3 years.
VolkerWessels is a Dutch group of companies with over 15, 000 employees and offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, UK and Canada. The company is involved in construction, building and property development, infrastructure, technology and telecoms, as well as supplies and marine services.
Previous major projects completed by VolkerWessels include the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and Euroborg Soccer Stadium
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