1.  Can you tell us about the Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads and what brings you to Road Expo this year?

The Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads is one of four interconnected themes funded by the Department for Transport through ADEPT’s Live Labs 2 programme. The Centre itself is led by North Lanarkshire Council and Transport for West Midlands. It’s designed to accelerate the adoption of low-carbon materials across the UK’s local roads sector. We’re here at Road Expo Scotland to showcase the progress we've made and encourage the Scottish roads sector to join us. From pioneering live trials to launching sector-wide tools like our free, open-source knowledge bank, we want to breakdown siloed working and connect with local authorities, suppliers and innovators who share our ambition for net-zero roads.

 

2. You've recently completed your largest live trials to date at the SuperSite. What have been the most significant findings from testing these low-carbon materials on real road networks?

The SuperSite trial was a game-changer for the Scottish local roads sector. On a 2km stretch of B road, we tested 4 innovative surface course materials and 2 in-situ recycling methods in real-world conditions, including calcined clay, bio-based binders, graphene, and biogenic PMBs. One of the most significant findings is that several materials not only reduce embodied carbon but also perform comparably—or better—than traditional materials in terms of durability and longevity. Equally, some of our greatest carbon savings (or avoided carbon emissions) can come from getting it right first time – or improving our operational planning to reduce risk of remediation.

 

3.You're showcasing some UK firsts, including a recycled plastic bitumen from Germany and an anti-icing asphalt additive from Italy. How have these international innovations performed in UK conditions?

We’ve been impressed by how well these materials have adapted to UK conditions. The recycled plastic bitumen from Germany – Ecopals – has shown promising results in terms of transportation and production processes with our asphalt plants. The anti-icing additive from Italy – WinterPave - has reduced surface freeze risk in trials on footways, which could be transformative for winter maintenance strategies in Scotland and beyond. These materials will undergo lab testing, full carbon evaluations and real-world monitoring to ensure that any results of the trial are verified and credible to the sector.

 

4. What is 'warm' HRA, and how does it differ from traditional hot rolled asphalt in terms of carbon reduction?

‘Warm’ HRA is a modified version of hot rolled asphalt that’s produced and laid at lower temperatures. This reduces fuel consumption during manufacture and application, cutting carbon emissions. It also improves working conditions for operatives. For many Scottish local authorities, we still primarily use HRA, so methods to decarbonise with our existing approaches is a critical piece of the puzzle.

 

5. You've just launched an online, open-source knowledge bank for local authorities. How will this platform help councils overcome the siloed working that often prevents the adoption of low-carbon solutions?

The Knowledge Bank is designed by local authorities, for local authorities. It allows users to search for materials, view case studies, and share their own experiences of low-carbon materials. By creating a centralised, open-access platform, we’re breaking down silos and enabling councils to learn from each other, build confidence in new materials, and accelerate adoption across the sector. We’re encouraging our Scottish colleagues to add their own case studies at: https://kb.decarbonisingroads.co.uk

 

6. Tell us about the Barriers to Decarbonising Roads Sandbox. What are the main barriers that SMEs face when trying to bring low-carbon materials to market?

The Sandbox is a safe space for SMEs to trial their innovations and receive mentorship from industry leaders like Transport Scotland, Amey, MPA and National Highways. The biggest barriers the SMEs have identified include lack of standardised departure processes across the four nations and LAs, procurement hurdles, a complex market in terms of the right levers to achieve scale, and specifications. By addressing these challenges head-on, we’re helping SMEs scale their solutions and gain market traction. This has led directly to the trial of the aforementioned Ecoflakes, the SME’s first venture in the UK.

 

7. How has your partnership with Safetytech Accelerator and industry mentors like Transport Scotland and National Highways helped these innovative companies navigate business-as-usual challenges?

Our partnership with Safetytech Accelerator has been instrumental to the Centre’s ability to understand the perspective of SMEs. We have spent so much of our first two years of the programme, rightly so, on discovering the challenges from the perspective of LAs. However, we realised with Safetytech that the sector needs to also to accelerate innovation in decarbonisation, moving beyond incremental, drawn-out change to more collaborative partnerships with the SMEs leading material research. Safetytech and the industry mentors have helped 6 leading SMEs understand regulatory landscapes, refine their business models, and connect with decision-makers. Mentors from Transport Scotland and National Highways have provided real-world insights and opened doors to pilot opportunities, making the journey from concept to adoption much smoother

 

8. You've conducted behavioural science research with three different local authorities. What surprised you most about the behavioural drivers and challenges facing engineers, inspectors and operatives on the ground?

One of the most surprising findings was the role of trust and familiarity. Engineers and inspectors often rely on materials they’ve used for years, even if low-carbon alternatives are available. Operatives have demonstrated openness and genuine excitement to try new materials when they receive the right training and see the direct visual benefits of their work – becoming part of an ‘elite’ low-carbon team. Behavioural inertia, coupled with perceived risk, can slow innovation. Our research is helping us design interventions that build confidence, shift mindsets and tie those feelings of success with achieving our ESG ambitions.

 

9. Road materials contribute to 40% of the total carbon emissions in the highways sector. How close are we to having a 'trusted carbon menu' that councils can confidently use when specifying materials?

We’re getting closer every day, particularly with the launch of the Knowledge Bank in October. Although we have worked closely with the University of Nottingham, Aston University, the Future Highways Research Group, and others to build an evidence base – or ‘low-carbon menu’ – what we really need to succeed in building councils’ confidence will be facilitating their collaboration. We know our Knowledge Bank will only be successful with the more evidence we gather about material performance across the UK roads sector, which is only possible with contributions of reviews and case studies from other LAs.

 

10. Looking ahead, what's next for the Centre, and how can local authorities and suppliers get involved in your work towards net zero roads?

Next, we’re wrapping up our trials, refining our evaluation tools, and scaling the Knowledge Bank. We’re also planning events, webinars, publications and 1-1 meetings to engage more councils and suppliers. Anyone interested can visit decarbonisingroads.co.uk, submit their innovations, or sign up for free to the Knowledge Bank.

Watch a video of the SuperSite trial here:

 

Catch the Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads on Stand C15.

• Road Expo & Bridges Scotland 2025, 26-27 November, SEC Glasgow
• Register to visit, exhibit or sponsor