Coloured asphalt for city centre redevelopment

New surfacing was required for a pedestrian zone and cycleway as part of a large regeneration project in Wolverhampton City Centre. The aim of the project was to improve the environment around Wolverhampton’s Civic Halls to create a quality public space for visitors to the iconic venue. It was timed to coincide with the reopening of the Civic Halls after a multi-million pound overhaul by the operator AEG Presents. Another key objective of the project was to encourage people to use more sustainable forms of transport such as cycling and using the nearby rail station. The works, funded from the £15.7 million the council secured from the Government’s Future High Street Fund, are designed to better connect the west of the city centre in order to improve overall transport links and support businesses and jobs in the city. 

A number of individual schemes would be included in this project. The carriageway on North Street would be moved closer to the Civic Centre, creating a wider, safer area in front of the Halls for crowds to assemble before and after events. A new designated cycle route would be added through North Street, linking to new and improved cycling facilities on the ring road. Mitre Fold would become a pedestrian zone, with access for deliveries only. Finally, a new carriageway link between Paternoster Row and North Street would also be constructed to help traffic to flow around the Civic Halls. After early engagement with the client, Tarmac’s Technical Product Support Manager was asked to propose suitable surfacing materials. ULTICOLOUR coloured asphalt in a SMA 10 Buff Quartzite was recommended as the solution. 

After supplying samples and presenting evidence of ULTICOLOUR’s successful use on other high-profile schemes, it was chosen as the surfacing for this project. In all, 136 tonnes of ULTICOLOUR asphalt was supplied over a three month period and laid by the appointed contractor, Hilton Main Construction, with work completed in March 2023. ULTICOLOUR provided the aesthetic and visual appeal that the client was looking for and the demarcation needed for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users. It also has a track record of impressive long-term durability on other heavily trafficked sites. This reassured the client that choosing ULTICOLOUR would enhance this city centre location but also deliver long term value for their investment and the low maintenance solution that they were looking for.