Tarmac launches new roads division

WOLVERHAMPTON construction giant Tarmac is launching a new highways division to help cut the cost of building new roads.

Tarmac Pavement Solutions is an attempt to take advantage of the rising cost of bitumen – which can now account for the third of the cost of building a road – by offering an alternative.

It will produce and supply cement-bound and recycled materials.

Bitumen prices have risen by 60% over the last two years leading to the use of more cement-bound or recycled asphalt systems on road projects.

The new division will be managed by Richard Vine, national contracting regional director

He said: “With bitumen accounting for around a third of the cost of building a new road, its price volatility means that the sector must embrace cement-bound materials and reduce its reliance on bitumen.”