CENTRE WELLINGTON – Centre Wellington is going to continue to test a plant-based product for road repair after promising results over the last two years.
The township collaborated with BioDiffusion Technologies Inc. in 2023 and 2024 as part of a study that included municipalities across the province.
The township used the product in 2023 on a 300m section of 8th Line West and in 2024 on a 1.9km segment further along 8th Line.
The product is a naturally engineered binder additive that when combined with recycled asphalt and gravel, will create a hard surface for roads.
Manager of engineering Adam Gilmore told council on Feb. 24 that while the product is more expensive than conventional asphalt, it seems to last longer and actually becomes harder over time, which is good.
Gilmore said he expects to see savings from fewer road repairs and longer life expectancy of the treated roads.
The treatment
Asphalt on the road section was pulverized in place, the bio resin and water mix was sprayed on top, and then the road was graded and compacted.
“Over time we found the road became stronger,” Gilmore said.
“We’re seeing strengthening even a year after testing and there is significant decrease in deflection of the road.”
Deflection is what causes ruts and cracks in roads.
Based on that success, Gilmore sought permission to test a different road segment this year – a 2.9km stretch of 2nd Line between Wellington Roads 18 and 19.
Gilmore said this is a high traffic area and the road base is experiencing rutting, making it an ideal candidate for the bio resin application. The cost is expected to be $203,520.
Staff will continue monitoring the roads, he said.
“We want to see the freeze-thaw cycle over the long term,” he added.
Council appreciated the initiative and approved the request.
