Wisconsin county uses recycled materials in highway repaving project

Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, is using recycled materials to repave its roads, a report by WEAU says. The county began using the materials last year on a rural road in Augusta.

According to the report, Highway Commissioner Jon Johnson says the new method cuts the cost of repaving in half. Rather than removing material and hauling in new product, the county began grinding the road surface and combining it with an oil-based substance.

The county’s goal is to repave more than 78 miles of road using the recycled material in the next five years. In that time, Johnson says the county will save more than $7 million over 10 years through recycling.

Johnson says that using recycled materials also allows the county to increase how much road is improved per year. Previously, Eau Claire County was replacing eight to 10 miles of road per year, and since using recycled materials, that number has jumped to 21 miles.

Currently, the county uses processing equipment that is contracted out but plans to purchase its own equipment in the future.