Tarmac’s Ulticolour delivers high quality traffic management and public realm works solution outside a primary school.

The challenge

The school and local community had raised concerns about traffic movement and pedestrian safety outside Alva Primary School, due to increased usage by the public.

Speed tables were to be installed on the carriageway outside the school, with a designated pedestrian crossing and the main footpath to the school entrance widened.

To help with demarcation and aesthetics the council designer was keen to use a coloured surface.

The specification was changed three weeks before the project was due to be completed to allow for the school reopening after the summer holidays.

Major sections of the new road construction needed to be completed, making the timeframe for installation of the coloured material very tight.

Tarmac’s solution

Council design engineer Gary Fraser was keen to use a coloured surface for the footpath, but wanted a more durable alternative to a resin bound system, due to the footpath being heavily trafficked everyday by school pupils and members of the public.

Following a site visit to an ULTICOLOUR Natural Gravel site completed by Tarmac National Contracting, where the material had been insitu for over 6 years, he was keen to change his specification based on the ULTICOLOUR systems performance.

ULTICOLOUR 6mm Natural Gravel was selected as a replacement for the resin system, which provided a more durable, longer lasting surface. This could be installed as part of the resurfacing works instead or another contractor attending site to install the resin system, further delaying the project.

Results and Benefits

The specification of ULTICOLOUR asphalt helped to deliver the programme on time, whilst providing a product that requires less maintenance due to its superior durability and natural colour.

Tarmac provided technical support throughout the project to ensure the correct installation against challenging programme times.

By utilising the naturally coloured asphalt, the client received a durable fit for purpose product, which helped enhance the overall aesthetics of the project.

Gary Fraser – Roads Project Engineer Clackmannanshire Council commented “Tarmac provided a material of exceptional quality, delivered it to suit our timescales and the quantity required. Tarmac also provided personnel to oversee the works in progress and to ensure that quality control requirements were being met by our contractor. The material chosen greatly enhanced our high-quality traffic management and public realm works and I would have great confidence in using this product again in similar projects”.

ULTICOLOUR is a range of vibrant coloured asphalts that bring outdoor spaces to life. ULTICOLOUR has many uses, from driveways and playgrounds to estate roads and bus lanes. Using a high performance clear binder, ULTICOLOUR offers far brighter colours than conventional asphalts. It is also highly durable, delivering lasting performance, even on highly trafficked roads.