“For us, it is important to innovate and challenge in developing circular solutions, and circular asphalt is more environmentally friendly than usual,” says Anette Aanesland, CEO of Nye Veier.

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On the new E39 through Lyngdal in Agder, 400 metres of circular asphalt has now been laid. This is an important part of Nye Veier's plan to renew and challenge Norwegian transport.

“We will test the use of circular asphalt that consists only of materials that have been used in the past or that originated as residues from non-fossil sources,” says Anette Aanesland of Nye Veier.

The researchers of this work have not found anywhere else in the world where circular asphalt is used to this extent and in this way.

“Perhaps we are the first in the world to build a highway with circular asphalt,” says Aanesland.

Minimizes environmental impact

The supplier of the circular asphalt is Velde Asphalt. They wash stones and masses that in many cases go to embankments. The masses that have been washed can replace new rock being blasted out to be used for asphalt. To tie this together, Velde uses recycled asphalt, recycled bitumen products and products of biological origin. Other additives are also from biological origin. The circular asphalt is entirely based on products that are circular.

Velde Asphalt has developed the new product over time with testing in laboratories. The asphalt has been tested on some local roads around their factory in Sandnes and the factory area. Together with the general contractor Implenia Stangeland, they will now lay a complete asphalt structure with bearing, binding and wear layers, which will be tested on a high-traffic highway, which will open during 2025. The new four-lane highway should meet all the ordinary requirements for the construction of road. Of course, this also applies to the circular asphalt. Researchers from SINTEF will follow up how the asphalt behaves both during laying and in the future, so that we can learn from this pilot project. Large future use of circular asphalt will be linked to the results of testing, changing regulations for the construction of roads and the demand from customers.

Part of the project “Sustainable value chain and material use in road construction”

The laying of the circular asphalt on the highway was made possible through the project “Sustainable value chain and material use in road construction”. The project has 17 participants from across the value chain. Nye Veier is the project manager, while VIA has the role of project manager. Together, the actors will develop and pilot at least ten new sustainable solutions that will be piloted for use in road bodies, tunnels and road structures. Among other things, the project will carry out at least ten large pilot projects with new and more sustainable materials and solutions. The project has been allocated almost 70 million through the Green Platform programme, which is funded by the Research Council, Innovation Norway and SIVA.

“On the new E39 through Lyngdal, we are testing new solutions for future road construction. We have reduced the seizure of acreage, we deal with sludge from tunnel drilling in new ways, we test slag from industry to road construction and now circular asphalt. In addition, we are looking at the possibility of using the slopes along the road to produce energy from solar cells,” says Aanesland.

Earlier this summer, a pilot project with by-products from the process industry used in the roadbody was initiated on the same stretch: This road makes Norway a pioneer in sustainability.

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