‘Plastic’ roads as a sustainable solution for fixing America’s fracturing road system

Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab (MAPIL) recently created a real-world test road using recycled materials like scrap tires and plastic waste along a portion of Interstate 155 in the Missouri Bootheel

Across the United States, millions of roads are constructed with asphalt pavement that’s deteriorating over time. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are using recyclables, including plastic waste, as a sustainable solution to fix America’s fracturing road system. In partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), researchers from the Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab (MAPIL) recently created a real-world test road using recycled materials like scrap tires and plastic waste along a portion of Interstate 155 in the Missouri Bootheel. 

The I-155 project takes the group’s previous test road, installed along a stretch of Stadium Boulevard in Columbia, Missouri, one step further. Instead of just testing four different types of recycled materials, the I-155 project will evaluate the real-world effectiveness of nine different types of recycled materials in the creation of asphalt pavement. This includes three different types of polyethylene (PE) — a material commonly found in plastic grocery bags — and ground tire rubber, which is a newer way of disposing scrap tires. By increasing the sustainability of asphalt mixes, this innovative method can help reduce the number of items going into landfills or leaking into the environment, said Bill Buttlar, director of MAPIL.  For more information, including a video, graphic and multiple pictures that are available for media use, please see this news release from the University of Missouri: https://showme.missouri.edu/2023/driving-innovative-solutions-for-advancing-use-of-plastic-roads/

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