Councillor Susanne Schilderman (Public Space): ‘This asphalt mixture is a new step in making our projects in public space increasingly sustainable. It fits seamlessly with Utrechts circular ambitions: a fully circular city by 2050. As a municipality, we replace an average of fifteen thousand square meters of asphalt per year. That is an area comparable to 33 basketball courts. The asphalt mixture of the Archimedeslaan consists entirely of reused materials, which come from our own city, among others. I am very proud of this mixture that we have created together with contractor Dura Vermeer and the company Roof2Road.’ 

Sustainable Execution
The asphalt used by the municipality for this project consists of 100% recycled material. Part of the asphalt has been removed from another location, supplemented with crushed stones from repairs to railway tracks. To make one mixture, bitumen (a form of roofing) has been added, sourced from the old roof of the Utrecht bus depot demolished in 2023. By using this method, the municipality does not need to use new raw materials. To process the asphalt, Dura Vermeer uses only electric machines. They have no emissions and cause less noise disturbance for the surroundings. 

‘At Dura Vermeer, we have a clear goal in mind: 50% CO2 reduction by 2030. This is only possible by continuing to innovate together with clients and other chain partners. That the municipality of Utrecht is executing this pilot with recycled asphalt and electric equipment with us is a great step towards Net Zero,’ says Paul Bleijenberg, director at Dura Vermeer. 

More about the project: www.utrecht.nl/archimedeslaan 

More about our circular city: Circular City | Municipality of Utrecht