A NATIONAL centre of excellence will be established by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) as part of a £30million programme to help make the UK’s road network cleaner and greener.
TfWM, part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), will use its £4million share of the funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) to bring together technical expertise from around the world.
The project will develop and trial new innovations which will accelerate the use of low carbon materials, and repair and maintenance techniques.
These could include road surfaces made from recycled components or materials such as permeable concrete to improve their durability in different climates.
The carbon impact of pothole repair techniques, based on costs and long-term lifespan, will also be examined.
The UK CO2llaboration Centre of Excellence for Materials Decarbonisation will be a single centre based across two campuses – a physical centre based in Birmingham and a virtual centre hosted by North Lanarkshire Council.
The centre should open in April and will work closely with TfWM’s established Transport Skills Academy to share the knowledge and skills developed so it contributes to the academy’s work to upskill the region’s existing highways and transportation workforce.
Innovation in low carbon highways materials and techniques are already taking place around the UK but will be brought together for the first time by TfWM in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council, which has been given £4.5million.
Coun Ian Courts, WMCA portfolio holder for energy and environment, and leader of Solihull Council, said: “Decarbonising the road network will be crucial to our journey to net zero so I’m delighted that we are taking a nationally leading role in developing new innovations that can help achieve that.
“As well as the environmental benefits, this work has the potential to have a huge impact on the creation of green jobs and sustainable economic growth which will be vital as we continue our low carbon transition.”
