In an innovative move towards sustainability, the Utah Department of Transportation is reusing the old Bangerter Highway's concrete to construct new interchanges. This project, which actively began five months ago, has successfully crushed approximately 15,000 cubic yards of concrete, an amount that could ostensibly fill two Goodyear Blimps. Rather than contributing to waste, the material is quickly finding new purpose beneath the tires of Utah commuters.
Robert Stewart, UDOT Region 2 said, "In the past, all of this concrete would have gone to waste and now is being recycled and reused for UDOT projects," as per UDOT. The environmental benefits are substantial, not to mention the reduced number of truck trips in the area as a result of on-site recycling, a conscious effort to further minimize the project's carbon footprint.
The process involves machinery to break apart the old highway before the pieces are fed into a crusher, which also houses a large magnet to effortlessly separate metal rebar from concrete. The rebar, like the concrete, finds its way back into the recycling chain. This effort shows UDOT's commitment to a full-circle approach to materials, with an eye toward ecological impact alongside infrastructural rejuvenation.
Jake Nielson, contractor project manager on the Bangerter 4700 South project, revealed a lesser-known fact about our roadways, "What most people don’t know is that most of the materials in our highways are 100% recyclable, whether that’s concrete or asphalt," as noted by UDOT. Nielson's insight brings to light the potential for future projects to similarly embrace recycling, potentially to transform and reinvigorate the very arteries that connect our cities and states.
