THE BRIEF
Cambridgeshire County Council is working together with Milestone Infrastructure to expand the existing Babraham Park & Ride site. As part of the expansion, an additional 153 car parking spaces will be created alongside new CCTV and lighting and infrastructure to accommodate solar panels and EV charging ports.
Milestone Infrastructure approached Aggregate Industries’ Surfacing Solutions team as it was looking for a unique paving system that called out for the use of porous asphalt for the standard parking bay areas, but a separate dense warm mix asphalt on the road between the bays. The paving needed to double as a drainage system to prevent any standing water accumulating in the bays and to avoid ice hazards during the colder months.
THE SOLUTION
To meet with the brief of a drainable surface, Aggregate Industries’ Surfacing Solutions team used its SuperDrainasphalt®; a permeable asphalt which allows water to pass freely through to the underlying structure.
The team used 10mm SuperDrain, which provided a highly durable and effective transition layer, but also meant it would help avoid future potential stone loss caused by a high volume of turning vehicles. In addition, Milestone Infrastructure laid a low fines subbase to create an extra layer for any rainwater to drain through. Alongside SuperDrainasphalt®, Aggregate Industries provided and installed a dense warm-mix asphalt (WMA) between the bays, providing a sustainable solution for the wider parking area.
A total of 960 tonnes of SuperDrainasphalt®; has been placed at the site, with a further 745 tonnes of dense WMA.
Colin Witham, Frameworks Manager at Aggregate Industries, said: “Using SuperDrainasphalt® on a car parking area is unusual, however with the brief calling the bays to act as a drainage system for the entire car park as well, it was the ideal solution. Using a mix of two different products, the team was able to deliver a unique and sustainable surfacing solution for Milestone Infrastructure as part of the project, which we were able to deliver within one week.”