An asphalt recycler purchased by the city arrived in March and is now in operation, producing hot mix.
The recycler uses old milled asphalt, heats it, applies a polymer and brings it up to temperature to create hot mix for more permanent asphalt repairs.
“From our mechanics, the feedback is it’s very simple, which is great to hear. I was wondering what it would look like to keep that thing functioning, and the early reports are that it’s very promising in terms of keeping it in service and on the road,” said Director of Operations Bevan Harlton.
This piece of equipment allows the city to create hot mix before the hot mix plant fires up in the spring and, along with an infrared heater, will allow road crews to fill potholes with hot mix year-round.
“Normally, we would see the plant coming online in early May, sometimes late April, and then we can carry that into the fall and, as required, we can carry that through to winter. The limits there with that machine may be resources, depending on snow events or whatever else we have going on,” Harlton said.
So far, the asphalt recycler has produced 28 tonnes of hot mix and, when fully operational, is expected to produce 3.6 tonnes per hour of material.
The recycler cost the city $103,000, along with $30,000 for the infrared heater. The anticipated unit cost for the recycled material is estimated at $24 per tonne, compared to $145 per tonne for new material.
According to a previous report to city council, the city retains all milled asphalt from road renewal and infrastructure projects. The city yards have about 10,000 tonnes of milled asphalt that could be used with the recycler at no cost.