ULTIPAVE R

The ULTIPAVE range includes 10mm and 14mm products to meet a variety of thickness and texture requirements:

10mm BBA HAPAS accredited asphalt

14mm BBA HAPAS accredited asphalt

ULTIPAVE Uses high grade aggregates, delivering outstanding durability along with impressive reductions in road noise and surface spray.

ULTIPAVE M range uses polymer technology as an alternative to the fibre technology used in our standard ULTIPAVE range.

ULTIPAVE D is available in a 10mm dense version, designed to deliver a lower texture, denser formulation than standard 10mm ULTIPAVE and resist pavement deformation and premature wear on heavily trafficked roundabouts.

Leader in building more sustainable roads 

Tarmac has become the first company in the UK to secure recognised industry BBA HAPAS Clause 942 approval for its innovative rubber modified asphalt for use on the strategic road network incorporating recycled end of life UK car tyres. 

Following a series of successful trials over a number of years, ULTIPAVE R, is the first thin surfacing system of its kind to receive BBA HAPAS Clause 942 approval. 

Using old tyres to build new roads 

ULTIPAVE R incorporates the rubber from up to 750 waste tyres for every kilometre of highway surfaced, depending on the thickness of the road. 

To further boost the sustainability credentials of ULTIPAVE R, it is manufactured with Tarmac’s ULTILOW warm-mix binder technology, which is manufactured at lower temperatures and has a lower carbon footprint than standard hot mix asphalts. 

Tried and tested performance 

In 2019, working alongside National Highways, recognising that the economic and environmental benefits could be significant, a trial section of ULTIPAVE R was laid on the southbound carriageway of the M1 between junctions 23 and 22. The trial was the first installation of ULTIPAVE R, incorporating a higher percentage of rubber modification than the asphalt previously trialled with local authorities, resulting in this being the first motorway resurfacing scheme using asphalt containing granulated rubber from the UK’s tyre waste stream. 

Why are waste tyres such a problem? 

There has been significant progress in recycling waste tyres in the UK. However, there is still a reliance on the export of used tyres to North Africa and the Indian sub-Continent. The UK currently exports one in four tyres, equating to 150,000 tonnes annually. Using the waste tyre stream in asphalt provides an additional disposal route in the UK. 

The development of ULTIPAVE R is part of Tarmac’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and the circular economy, with the business recycling approximately 8 million tonnes of waste and secondary aggregates from other industries every year. It also builds on the company’s reuse of waste tyres to power its cement kilns and its commitment as a net user of waste.