National Highways will trial the use of graphene along three miles of the A1’s northbound carriageway between Newton on the Moor and West Cawledge, Northumberland
If successful, using graphene could reduce the frequency of roadworks and make journeys for road users smoother and more reliable.
‘Industry-changing’
National Highways asset needs manager, Graeme Watt, said: “This is an exciting time for National Highways. We are constantly striving to improve the journeys of our customers and graphene has real potential to do that.
“Laboratory trials have been a success and the on-site trials in Northumberland will be a world-first use of graphene in road production, which enforces our commitment to innovation and helps to push the industry towards more carbon-friendly maintenance with longer-lasting solutions which we all benefit from.
“Graphene’s benefits are industry-changing. It’s stronger than steel and adding it to other materials can turn them into super materials. From what we’ve seen so far, it could make some of our assets last significantly longer.”
National Highways is carrying out the trials with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at The University of Manchester and Pavement Testing Services (PTS) (PTS).
To carry out the resurfacing safely and efficiently, the northbound carriageway will be closed 24/7, with traffic running in a contraflow, one lane in each direction, on the southbound carriageway.
The resurfacing will take place from Sunday 19 September to Monday 1 November.
