The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has partnered with the state departments of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Environmental Protection, and General Services for a pilot project that would pave portions of a roadway with an innovative material.
The material is an asphalt and recycled plastic mixture designed to strengthen the roadway surface without leaching plastic material into the surrounding environment. Benefits of the material include extending the life of asphalt pavements, reusing asphalt millings in future recycled-asphalt pavement applications, diverting waste plastics from landfills, and establishing a viable market for plastics.
The project is coordinated through PennDOT’s Strategic Recycling Program.
“Sustainability is at the core of DCNR’s mission and we are pleased that one of our 121 state parks was selected to be a part of this innovative pilot project,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “We look forward to testing this new technology based on the expected benefits, and are hopeful that it is a model for future successes in Pennsylvania — especially with regards to state agencies collaborating to create more sustainable operations and policies across the commonwealth.”
Two quarter-mile stretches of roadway in Ridley Creek State Park were chosen for the project. A standard asphalt mixture will pave the rest of the roadway.