Russian Highways to increase the use of recycled asphalt by 30%

Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University (MADI) hosted the
conference headed "The Use of Recyclables in the Reconstruction, Repair and Redevelopment
of Motorways". The event was inaugurated by Vyacheslav Petushenko, Chair of the Board of
the Russian Highways State Company, and Artyom Azhgirevich, President of MADI.
A key topic was the introduction of recycled asphalt paving (RAP) into production processes.
Vyacheslav Petushenko stressed that the State Company now actively utilizes recycled asphalt
in the reconstruction, repair and redevelopment of motorways. Moreover, in the next three
years, its share in asphalt concrete mixtures for the top layer of pavement should reach 30%.
"The annual volume of asphalt granulate as part of repairs at the construction sites of the State
Company is around 900 thousand tons. The technologies that are applied worldwide today
confirm that recycled resources should be utilized. The use of recycled materials saves budgets
and provides the opportunity to do more for the same money without compromising the road
quality. And this is the most crucial indicator: users driving down our roads safely and
comfortably, while receiving all the services they expect from us today. This is the development
strategy for the entire road industry, including the State Company," stated Vyacheslav
Petushenko.
During the past three years, about 245 thousand tons of asphalt concrete mixtures with RAP
additives have been installed across the State Company's roads. This year, about 19% of the
total amount of asphalt paving mixtures with RAP additives is planned to be implemented. Not
only does it mark down costs, but also minimizes environmental impact, reduces the
consumption of natural resources and improves operational efficiency. It also tapers off the cost
of asphalt concrete mixtures and energy consumption during its manufacture.
All the same, some extra measures are required for large-scale deployment of this technology.
The conference discussed the upgrade of asphalt plants, improvement of the regulatory and
technical base and expert training. In particular, Konstantin Mogilny, Head of the Department for
Technical Policy and Innovative Technologies of the Russian Highways, described in his report
the actual situation with regard to the use of recycled asphalt concrete. He also accentuated the
economic feasibility of increasing the percentage of RAP additives in asphalt concrete mixtures.
Besides, he presented an additional personnel training program teaching to process recycled
materials.
At the end of the conference, the participants have inferred that it is necessary to expand the
practice of reuse of road materials. Key solutions include increasing the share of RAP to 30% in
the top layers of road surface, developing new pricing mechanisms, unifying terminology and
introducing regulations on cold recycling technology. The adopted assembly's recommendations
will be forwarded to all stakeholders for further deployment.