Asphalt black is the new green

Recycling the old roads into newer, greener roads.

by Jason Boyer, KWGN

February 21, 2008

DENVER — It's easy to take them for granted, but the roads we drive on are getting greener.

"We think so," said Tom Peterson, Executive Director of the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association. "Asphalt is 100% recyclable." This is a big week for the asphalt industry. "We're trying to showcase it here at the largest asphalt convention in the country. The theme of this conference is environmental sustainability, pave green with asphalt," said Peterson.

Black is the new 'green' according to Peterson. "We're talking recycling, we're talking reducing pavement noise, we're improving water quality throughout pavements."

Old roads are being recycled into new ones, harmful chemicals used to haul and dump asphalt are getting replaced by cleaner ones. Asphalt technology has certainly come a long way. In fact, it's environmentally-friendly enough to be considered a part of building 'green,' like porous parking lots.

Peterson said, "The porous pavement allows a reduction in storm water run-off and retention. That's a technology that's being looked into as a way to build green from a parking lot standpoint."

Just like your car, fuel economy is key to paving behemoths like rollers and pavers. "Every piece of our products has tier-three engines that allow you to burn cleaner fuel. Getting a lot more use out of the product with using a lot less fuel is certainly the goal," said Doug Corley with Power Equipment Company.

"If we can build our pavements with the right components, with the right materials and maintain them correctly they can last longer, if not perpetually," finished Tom.