Somerset Road Scheme Cuts Carbon by Recycling 7,300 Tonnes of Concrete

A pioneering Somerset Council project has successfully replaced a 51-year-old motorway junction and link road while saving around 200 tonnes of carbon emissions.

The £5.7 million scheme, completed this month ahead of schedule and on budget, focused on Junction 26 of the M5 and the A38 Chelston link road near Wellington. Both were originally constructed in 1974 and had reached the end of their design life.

The challenge of dealing with thousands of tonnes of deteriorating concrete was turned into an opportunity. Instead of hauling 7,300 tonnes of material away by lorry, contractors crushed the concrete in place using a specialist “rubblizer” machine. The resulting fragments were then reused as the foundation for the new road, cutting the need for virgin aggregate. This innovation eliminated around 1,130 lorry trips and significantly reduced carbon output.

The project forms part of Live Labs 2, a £30 million national programme funded by the Department for Transport in partnership with the Association of Directors of Environment, Planning and Transport (ADEPT). Running until 2026, the initiative supports local authorities in testing new methods to decarbonise road construction and maintenance. Somerset is working alongside Cornwall and Hampshire councils as part of the Wessex Live Lab team.

Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Waste Services, praised the results:“This project presented significant challenges – not least delivering a new road and junction quickly, to minimise disruption. We’re delighted with the work of our contractor Heidelberg – it is on time and on budget, and they have risen to another important challenge, that of reducing the carbon outputs, which in turn protects the environment.”

Heidelberg Materials, which delivered the scheme with specialist US subcontractor Antigo, said the process showed how recycling could play a major role in greener roadbuilding.

Tim Doyle, the company’s Somerset Framework Manager, said:“It was a pleasure being involved with a project with such positive environmental credentials. Recycling so much of the existing network is essential if targets are to be met, and this scheme demonstrated this could be achieved without compromising durability.”

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