Plastic Roads Sound Like a Crazy Idea, Maybe Aren't

schwit1 writes with news that the Dutch city of Rotterdam is looking at partnering with a company called VolkerWessels to test a prototype plastic road for safety and durability. "They envision pulling waste plastic out of the oceans, and then processing it into prefabricated sections of road with integrated utility channels and drainage. The composition and structure of the plastic makes it more durable than traditional asphalt, and VolkerWessels estimates that their plastic roads should last about three times as long as traditional roads." The roads are manufactured at a factory, and then hauled in a mostly finished state to where they'll end up. This could dramatically reduce the time during which drivers are inconvenienced by road construction efforts.

Comments

Expansion / Contraction? Damage?

[Anonymous Coward]

How will these plastic road segments hold up to the kinds of expansion and contraction roads undergo during especially hot or cold days?

Will they be have to be melted together to prevent cracks between segments for weatherproofing against rain, snow and ice? (Water expands when frozen, remember)

And how well will they stack up against some idiot driving along on a rim with no tire?

Will they be fireproof? One flaming car wreck and you've got a wall of fire that goes on for miles, spewing toxic smoke.