Surfacing
Tarmac Contracting is the UK’s leading supplier of highways surfacing, operating a fleet of 124 surfacing and planing machines which lay around 3.5 million tonnes of asphalt each year. Ranging from resurfacing of motorways, roads and pathways, to the construction of car parks, runways and running tracks.
3.5m
tonnes of asphalt laid per year
1,300
employees in our Contracting business
124
surfacing and planing machines in our fleet
25,000
kilometres of UK roads maintained
500k
tonnes of road planing recycled
In the process over 1 million tonnes of road arisings are dug up and responsibly disposed of. Much of this is recycled either off-site by our nationwide network of specially modified asphalt plants, or on-site using our ground-breaking ULTIFOAM system, which enables 95% of road arisings to be recycled and reused. We also install a range of specialist surfaces from our ULTIGRIP longer lasting skid resistant surface that enhances road safety, to our ULTISuDs sustainable drainage surface which helps to mitigate localised flooding.
Airfields
Tarmac have played an integral role in the surfacing of some of the UK’s busiest airfields and runways, and as a result nobody understands the complexities and restrictions involved in working in this unique environment better than us.
Our surfacing expertise has been proven on major contracts including the rehabilitation of the southern runway at Heathrow Airport, the redevelopment of the runways and taxiways at both Norwich and Liverpool John Lennon Airports, the reconstruction of the main apron at Newcastle International Airport, and the replacement of Aircraft stands at London City.
Racetracks
In one of our most recent high profile projects, Tarmac completed the 2019 resurfacing of the Silverstone racetrack circuit in preparation for the Formula One British Grand Prix and the British Moto GP. The asphalt surface was a high-tech bespoke mix developed and designed by Drono, the renowned racetrack circuit engineering firm, and required meticulous precision and intricate logistical planning on behalf of Tarmac to ensure the job was delivered on spec and in time
Thin Surfacing
Surface dressing and slurry sealing help prolong the life of roads. Our ULTITHIN asphalt offers another cost effective and longer lasting alternative to surface dressing
Sustainable Drainage
Tarmac offers a unique design and build service to install sustainable drainage solutions using porous asphalts and specialist drainage aggregates, helping to avoid localised flooding.
Anti-skid
ULTIGRIP skid resistant asphalt offers similar SCRIM levels to conventional anti-skid products, but typically lasts three times longer than alternative high friction surfacing.
Reduced noise
Our low-noise surface ULTIFLEX ensures a consistent, even finish for users, reducing the impact of busy roads and improving living spaces.
Velodromes
For the precision surfacing of velodromes, Tarmac’s knowledge has led to our experts teams working on some of the UK’s top cycle tracks. Applying the specialist UltiTrack Velodrome 6mm dense asphalt, we have been able to ensure a smooth, durable and low friction running surface with excellent ride quality.
Learn more about our asphalt for velodromes >
Recent case studies
A2 - Bean to Bluewater
The A2 between Bean and the Bluewater Shopping & Leisure Complex in Kent is a busy stretch of carriageway used by over 130,000 drivers every day. Over 2,500 tonnes of asphalt was laid in just 28 hours over the Easter weekend. This approach reduced the initial 53 day programme by 24 days and delivered a £400,000 cost saving for National Highways.
Mersey Gateway
Mersey Gateway is a network of 7km of new roads designed to relieve congestion on the Silver Jubilee Bridge between Runcorn and Widnes. That bridge – itself an iconic structure – opened in 1961, and was designed to carry 8,000 vehicles a day. Over 50 years on and more than 80,000 vehicles were using it. Tarmac were instrumental in the regeneration scheme, laying approximately 200k tonnes of asphalt and committing over 80,000 man hours between November 2015 and September 2017 before the bridge re-opened.
ULTITRACK Motorsport at Croft
Tarmac's Contracting division completed a successful re-surfacing project at Croft racing circuit in North Yorkshire. A brand-new surface across the entire 2.1-mile circuit near Darlington saw experts at Tarmac’s technical centre develop an innovative and bespoke material for the project, UltiTrack Racing, using Total’s Styrelf high-performance polymer-modified binder. This was designed specifically to deliver excellent levels of grip while being robust enough to withstand the track’s high durability requirements.
