Aggregate Industries has won a contract to join a £1.3 billion National Highways framework to maintain England's motorways and A-roads over the next five years.
The Leicestershire quarrying and building materials giant is one of 12 suppliers selected ti work on what is called the Pavement Delivery Framework.
The contract covers the supply of materials, plant and labour to carry out National Highways’ road surfacing (pavement) and construction works in the north and south “super” regions for the next five years.
The agreements, which run from April 2023 to March 2028, promote the use of low-carbon materials, in particular “warm mix asphalt” which Aggregate Industries started using as its default roads material earlier this year.
The business said that because it can be mixed at temperatures 20C to 40C lower than hot mix asphalt, it allows for a “significant reduction” in CO2 emissions.
It is also said to be more durable and quicker to lay, meaning roads can be reopened to traffic faster.
Thomas Edgcumbe, managing director for Aggregate Industries’ Surfacing Solutions division, said: “We’re extremely proud to successfully secure a place on this vital framework serving the south and north of the country.
“We have the knowledge, experience and expertise of working on big strategic infrastructure projects and look forward to delivering on this over the next five years.
“It is also really important that we will be able to continue our long standing partnership with National Highways focusing on carbon reduction, social value and efficiency.
“Sustainability is a central pillar of our own business strategy and we have been leading the way on innovating and bringing new low-carbon asphalt products to market.
“We use warm mix asphalt as standard and have introduced products including SuperLow Carbon and Foamix this year.”
Duncan Smith, executive director of operations at National Highways, said: “We are very happy to have secured these new agreements. Engaging an increased range of organisations from across the industry is a hugely positive step for us, allowing us to expand our supply chain and improve our resilience.
“We’re also happy to be working with some organisations that we haven’t worked with previously, and we look forward to building these new relationships.
“These contracts will also support our Net Zero Carbon Plan, which underpins all of our work now and in future years.”
