ADEPT Live Labs 2 : West Midlands Cold-Applied Reinstatement Projects, 2024

Monday the 4th of February 2024

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On Monday the 4th of March, #TeamMeon were thrilled for the opportunity to showcase some of our innovative and completely cold-applied road repair solutions at multiple reinstatement demonstrations around Birmingham, for ADEPT Live Labs 2.

ADEPT logoDfT and Live Labs 2 Logo
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Cold-Applied Reinstatment Solutions Demo for ADEPT Live Labs 2 Project

ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK is a three-year, UK-wide ยฃ30 million programme funded by the Department for Transport that aims to decarbonise the local highway network.

 The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) represents local authority county, unitary and metropolitan directors across England.

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Pothole Repair Demo at Live Labs 2 Project 

Live Labs 2 includes seven projects, grouped by four interconnected themes, led by local authorities working alongside commercial and academic partners. Each project is testing new solutions to decarbonise construction and maintenance across the whole life cycle of the local highway network.

The programme is overseen by an independent Commissioning Board, which includes the Department for Transport and other experts from across the public and private sectors.

Joseph Kimberly Colas

Joseph Kimberley, Innovations Manager at Colas and Project Manager for the UK Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads - South Campus Live Lab Project.

We spoke with Joseph Kimberley on the day, Innovations Manager at Colas and Project Manager for this Live Labs 2 project:

โ€œIn this round of CEDR demonstrators we are looking at and testing a variety of Materials and Pothole Solutions that are available to the market, before moving on to other service activities

Each Local Authority has their own Net Zero targets, sometimes they are not exactly sure what material they should be using, so if we can act as a guide to try and drive them towards lower carbon materials, that is our aim.

You can do a lot of carbon foot printing on paper, but until you test things in the real-world environment and see what is required to use the product within an independent perspective and then return later to see how durable the solution has been over time.

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Cold Applied Road Reinstatement Solutions in Action

Essentially trials of innovative materials happen all over the country, but not all of that data is shared with other local authorities.

Live Labs allow us that evaluation, but at the heart of a government funded programme, ran by local authorities for local authorities.

In the future we will return to the repairs, perform some testing and evaluate how they are holding up."

- Joseph Kimberley, Innovations Manager at Colas and Project Manager for the UK Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads - South Campus Live Lab Project.

Meon were thrilled to demonstrate cold-applied pothole repair solutions this series of Live Labs 2 projects throughout the west midlands โ€“ Highlighting the effectiveness and utility of innovative cold-applied solutions, doing so completing each reinstatement project with zero hot works, compaction equipment and heavy plant machinery.

The innovative solutions showcased were:

PermaFyx L273 โ€“ The revolutionary permanent cold-applied asphalt repair material.

InstaGrid Power Pack โ€“ Instant portable lithium ion-energy electricity, capable of peak 18,000 W (80A) and rechargeable in 2.5 hours.

Husqvarna Disc Cutter & Dust Extraction - Compact, lightweight and highly versatile battery powered disc cutter and dust extraction system.

Tracing Pro and Fluo TP Hydro โ€“ Instant spray acrylic line marking aerosol and short-term water-based marking out aerosol.

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The Full Selection of Cold Applied Solutions Utilised During the Demos

Each of the pothole repair domstrations not only showcased the efficiency of the chosen solutions but also highlighted their effectiveness as environmentally friendly alternative methods of practices.

Rolfe Street ARC Ltd, a local business located near one of the repair sites, was very pleased with the speed of the road repair works.

They expressed their enthusiasm for the efficiency of the repair process, noting that it was completed much quicker than previous road repair procedures. The road closure time was short and had a minimal effect on business operations.

โ€œThe repair process was really efficient, a lot quicker when compared to previous road repair procedures that can take a couple of hours at least.

The road closure time was short and had a minimal effect on business operations.

I was very impressed.โ€ - Rolfe Street ARC Ltd.

The Live Labs 2 pothole repair projects were a great opportunity for Meon to showcase our expertise and contribute to sustainable and efficient infrastructure development in the West Midlands.

Additionally, the Live Labs 2 projects have provided us with a valuable opportunity to demonstrate, eduacate and spread awareness about our innovative solutions within the highways industry, which we thank ADEPT for.

We are excited to see the outcome of our participation in the project and are hopeful that it will spark a greater conversation around implementing change and modernising practices within the industry.

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ADEPT Live Labs 2

Whether you seek improved practicality, cost-effective solutions, or a shift toward sustainability, Meon offers specialised resources and advisors to guide you on your journey.

If you require specialist advice regarding cold applied line marking or surface repair, click here.

Alternatively, to learn more about the VIP Experience hosted by Meon at our HQ in Portsmouth or if you are interested in scheduling an OnTour Exhibition visit, please click here.