Recycled concrete used on $391M NSW M1 upgrade

A NSW concrete recycling project has helped transform more than 200,000 tonnes of old, cracked surface of the M1 Pacific Motorway between Tuggerah and Doyalson into a brand new road.

NSW Regional Transport and Roads Minister Paul Toole said the project would provide safer and more reliable trips for motorists once complete, with lower costs and reduced environmental impact during construction.

“The NSW Government is leading the way in delivering innovative solutions to maximise efficiencies and minimise environmental impact on major road projects,” he said.

“Already, we’ve seen other major projects, including the Pacific Highway upgrade between Woolgoolga and Ballina, utilising waste water, debris and mulch to stabilise landscapes and fuel biomass-powered generators.”

According to Mr. Toole, initiatives attached to these projects have also recycled thousands of tonnes of asphalt, concrete, steel and timber.

“This latest M1 project, which has seen the old surface incorporated into the new road, is just another example of how we’re playing our part in delivering projects that will benefit future generations to come,” he said.

The project is part of the $391.6 million M1 Upgrade program, which involves widening the motorway to provide three lanes in each direction and rebuilding the roadway to provide a smoother and more durable surface.

Central Coast Parliamentary Secretary and Terrigal Minister Adam Crouch said this particular section of the Pacific Motorway was built in the 1980s, and is used by more than 70,000 vehicles each day.

“The process to recycle the road along this section began with a rubbeliser, which is a threshing machine that churns the old roadway up into football-sized pieces of rubble,” he said.

“The pieces were then transferred to a mobile crushing plant, where the rubble was refined into gravel and then incorporated into the new road layers.”