Highways maintenance
We're introducing innovation in the delivery of highways maintenance through a number of ways.
Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA)
Since October 2021 we have adopted the use of WMA. This switch to lower carbon asphalt helps support our Climate Change Action Plan in tackling the high level of emission reduction pathways.
The key benefits of WMA are:
- environmental - using less energy in its manufacture, therefore generating fewer emissions
- safety - the lower mixing and paving temperatures of WMA can cut fume generation by around 50% for approximately each 10-degree reduction in temperatures, improving air quality at production plants as well as visibility for the workforce and passing traffic on laying sites
- efficiency - less time to cool because it is applied at a lower temperature. This allows roads to be re-opened quicker, reducing disruption to road users, as well as the costs associated with traffic management to protect the workforce.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) lantern and concrete column replacement
We have been busy converting Medway’s existing lighting to LEDs to reduce energy consumption and ongoing maintenance and improve reliability, saving potentially thousands of pounds each year.
The new lighting is approximately 50% more energy efficient, reduces light pollution, produces less glare and will require less maintenance.
The contract included the provision of a central management system (CMS) which enables remote monitoring of streetlights, including fault reporting, energy consumption and controlling the adaptive lighting regimes applicable to each light.
Gully cleansing optimisation
We capture gully data when undertaking cleansing which has helped develop a cleansing regime that is based on levels of risk, determined by assessment of need.
The data capture helps build an inventory of our drainage assets along with condition information. With the system being accessible by both the contractor and council officers, it has assisted in applying a strategic approach.
An example is that it has allowed for changes in frequency to be applied which has resulted in identifying high-risk areas and conducting a higher level of cleansing in them.
Pre-wetted salt
Pre-wetted salt is salt that is mixed with a liquid chemical. It can come in several different forms and works at similar temperatures to rock salt.
The advantages to pre-wetted salt are that it can be spread more evenly and more quickly, cutting salt usage by up to 20% and it gets to work faster as it does not have to dissolve first.
The use of pre wetted salt on the council's roads commenced in 2023.