AQW 10866/22-27

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 25/04/2024
Answered On Date: 13/05/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure (i) to detail the long-term financial benefit for repairing roads with tarmac rather than with concrete; and (ii) whether this benefit varies depending on location.

Answer:

Generally concrete surfacing is only used on rigid pavement construction, that is when all pavement layers are concrete. There are very few roads in the North of this type, hence it is not considered a suitable option for maintenance resurfacing on the existing road network. The use of concrete road surfacing raises environmental concerns including noise and embodied carbon; high initial costs; excessive maintenance costs and high replacement costs at end of life.

The vast majority of our roads are asphaltic / bitmac pavements, which are a flexible pavement construction and potholes in these roads require repair with flexible materials. Concrete is a rigid material which does not bond with the surrounding asphalt material and would result in the breaking up of the surrounding material. Concrete is therefore not a suitable material for use in repairs on the existing road network.