Hume Freeway
The southbound lane on an 850m stretch of freeway will be rebuilt using recycled road base products. Credit: Roy Zeigerman / Unsplash.

Australia’s Victoria Government is set to trial recycled, locally-processed asphalt on a section of the Hume Freeway.

As part of an A$845,000 ($658,792) project, the southbound lane on an 850m stretch of freeway is planned to be rebuilt using more than 2,100t of recycled road base products, which will be processed at the Wodonga Asphalt plant.

This represents around one million recycled glass bottles, 746,000 plastic bags, 420t of reclaimed asphalt and 21,800 printer cartridges combined.

Victoria Minister for Roads and Road Safety Ben Carroll said: “By diverting this waste from landfill and putting it into road projects like this, we’re taking the pressure off our precious natural resources.

“We’re supporting regional communities and the local economy by keeping freight moving around critical transport links like the Hume.”

According to the performance testing report, the recycled road surface has shown a significant improvement in the asphalt’s longevity.

The report also showed the road surface is more resistant to cracking and can withstand heavy traffic for longer compared to traditional road surfaces.

An average of 6,500 vehicles travel on this section of the freeway each day, of which around 40% are trucks.

The project, which forms part of the government’s A$85m ($66.2m) maintenance blitz across northeast Victoria, is currently underway and expected to be completed within a week.

As part of the government’s two-year A$425m ($331.3m) investment plan to rebuild and resurface regional roads, about 250km of road is being targeted during the current road maintenance season.