IN Brief:
- An electric paver and electric roller were deployed on low-carbon resurfacing work between Acle and Great Yarmouth.
- The binder course was switched to a recycled foamed asphalt design with more than 90% recycled content.
- The 10-mile scheme is reported to have saved more than 400 tonnes of CO₂e while reusing material recovered from the existing road.
An Ammann electric paver has been deployed on upgrade work on the A47 in Norfolk as part of a wider resurfacing scheme built around recycled materials, electric plant and lower-carbon production methods.
The work forms part of a National Highways scheme on the A47 Acle Straight between Acle and Great Yarmouth, delivered with Heidelberg Materials and WSP. The core engineering shift was the decision to replace the original hot-mix binder design with 150mm of evoBuild foamed asphalt, a cold recycled bound material that allows the existing road to be reused at much higher levels than a conventional approach. Heidelberg Materials says the revised mix reached 93% recycled content, including reclaimed asphalt from the site and pulverised fuel ash.
That design change altered the carbon profile of the job. The project used 14,500 tonnes of foamed asphalt and 13,485 tonnes of recycled materials across a 10-mile stretch, with reported carbon savings of more than 400 tonnes of CO₂e. Because suitable aggregates are scarce in that part of East Anglia, cutting the demand for imported virgin material also reduced the transport burden that would normally sit behind a scheme of this size.
The plant strategy reinforced the same direction of travel. National Highways said electric pavers and rollers were used alongside a low-carbon recycling plant located close to the works, helping to shorten haul distances, while hydrogen low loaders were also used in the logistics mix. The result is a useful case study in how equipment choice and materials design are starting to converge on mainstream road schemes rather than remaining confined to trials.
