- UDOT launches a major pavement-recycling project to save millions in costs.
- The cold-in-place recycling method reduces emissions and shortens construction timelines by 40%.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Transportation is beginning work on one of the largest pavement recycling projects in the state.
The agency said Tuesday that the effort will save taxpayers money, reduce emissions and minimize traffic disruptions by reusing existing road materials.
The process is known as cold-in-place recycling, and it involves reworking the existing pavement rather than removing and replacing it with new materials.
"It's a process where we are taking the material that is already on the roadways, and we're recycling the roadway in place," said Chavis Jensen, a UDOT engineer. "It allows us to look at roads in a way and use the roads to rejuvenate using the materials that are in play."
UDOT spokesman Nic Naylor said the approach is expected to save about $5 million on a single project because crews do not need to bring in new materials.
The agency also expects the recycling method to shorten construction timelines and reduce traffic impacts. Naylor said similar projects have cut construction time by about 40%.
"That's less time we are on the road and also less time you are stuck in traffic," he said.
Environmental benefits are also significant, according to the transportation department. Jensen said the process reduces the need to transport materials and lowers oil use.
"Since we aren't hauling in and hauling out material and we are using significantly less oil in the process, we can reduce greenhouse emissions by almost 90%," he said.
For now, UDOT plans to use the method primarily in rural areas, on roads that need moderate repairs. One project is underway on U.S. Highway 50 in Millard County, which officials say will help stretch limited transportation budgets.
"Anytime we can work a project and save taxpayers' dollars, we're going to do that," Naylor said.
Jensen said the strategy gives UDOT another option for maintaining and improving roads more efficiently.
"This just puts another tool in our belt at UDOT that we can continue building roads in a faster, cheaper, more productive manner," he said.
