Trunk and other heavily trafficked roads can now be surface dressed with confidence following the first ever award of HAPAS certification to the specialist bitumen binders used in the process. Two polymer modified emulsions – known as Duramuls and Fleximuls – manufactured by Nynas Bitumen have been approved under the British Board of Agrément’s Highway Authorities Product Approval Scheme.
Surface dressing involves the spreading of chippings onto a suitable binder to restore a worn carriageway’s water tightness and surface characteristics, in particular of resistance to skidding. The cost effective process has been used for many years to rejuvenate local authority roads. Now it can be used for higher categories of road such as the Highways Agency’s trunk road system.
Nynas Bitumen’s Product Application Manager for Cold Paving Technology and Surface Treatments in the UK and Ireland, Dennis Day said he is extremely gratified that two of the company’s bespoke binders have received formal approval.
“We are the first materials specialist in the United Kingdom to receive HAPAS certificates for emulsions for use in surface dressing applications for trunk roads. The approval of each product is great news for the company and for the surface dressing market, which demands the use of high quality bitumen binders.”
Award of HAPAS certificates to the pair of Nynas Bitumen emulsions means they now comply with the Specification for Highway Works Clause 922 and can be used to surface dress any category of road as specified in the Specification for Highway Works notes for guidance NG922.
Nynas Bitumen has been working hard for two years to achieve HAPAS accreditation for its surface dressing emulsions. Award of the certificates is the culmination of a six stage approvals process that includes the laboratory testing of materials, site inspection and road trials.
Product approval certificates issued by HAPAS relate to all manner of materials used in highway works and give specifiers confidence that a product has been rigourously tested and will perform as it is designed to.
Ends
Press release issued by Barrett Byrd Associates, 20 September 2005.
For further information, contact Mike Walter on 01892 524455, mike@barrett-byrd.com
HAPAS first for bitumen emulsions
Nynas
Press release September 2005, published in Highways, October 2005