‘Look beyond black in asphalt specification’ urges Aggregate Industries

Aggregate Industries is encouraging contractors and building specifiers to ‘look beyond black’ and make better use of innovative asphalt materials, with a growing appetite for coloured asphalt nationwide.

The UK government, under its cycling and walking investment strategy (CWIS), has pledged more than £1.2bn to expand the nation’s cycling facilities, meaning asphalt materials, able to offer colour demarcation, have become increasingly recognised as one of the most appropriate surfacing choices for cycleways.

With this in mind, Aggregate is reminding contractors working on such road projects to look beyond the specification of standard asphalt and utilise the benefits of more specialist materials, offering a wide variety of colours and applications.

Victoria Smith, General Manager of Express Asphalt at Aggregate Industries, commented: “Typically, when people think of asphalt, they think of the standard black variety.

“However, as modern construction practices and building design has evolved, so has the choice of asphalt with today’s market offering an explosion of colours and design to meet virtually every conceivable requirement.

“Indeed, recent years have seen a marked investment in public infrastructure such as parks and natural spaces, bus lanes and cycleways, where aesthetic appeal is now just as important as functionality and performance.

“And with black asphalt no longer always sufficient to meet the brief, there’s now a mounting onus on contractors to leverage the latest innovations in coloured asphalt to achieve the desired results.”

According to Aggregate, a rising appetite is emerging for its innovative SuperColour® range of high-performance distinctly coloured asphalts, particularly in large cities and urban landscapes.

In these instances, it is increasingly being used for private drives, bus lanes, cycle lanes, sports landscaping and parks and natural areas.

In light of this soaring demand, the company has recently expanded supply of its coloured asphalt products to its Hertford depot, as well as Doncaster and Bristol plants.

In June, Aggregate also opened a dedicated new sampling lab at its Doncaster Express Asphalt plant, which guarantees a quick turnaround of samples for customers seeking to test the SuperColour range’s extensive colour capabilities.

Victoria added: “Pushing the envelope has always been a key aspect of our industry and is what makes the UK surfacing market one of the most advanced in the world.

“That’s why, for building contractors, local authorities and developers, facing greater pressure to meet ever-challenging and unique specifications, it’s never been a more apt time to look beyond black when it comes to asphalt specification.

“With its unique colour capabilities, coloured asphalt offers clear safety benefits and aesthetic appeal for a wide range of applications that require colour differentiation.

“For those looking to make the most of this, our new sampling labs allow contractors to test a bespoke range of different asphalt materials and colours until they find the solution that meets their needs.”

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