The advantages are considerable, according to VolkerWessels: Reduced maintenance, increased temperature resistance and accelerated road laying, which would take weeks instead of months. The surface lasts three times longer than asphalt, adds the company, and it is lighter and hollow, making it easier to install cables and pipelines below the surface.
"Sections can be prefabricated in a factory and transported to where they are needed," notes the Guardian, "reducing on-site construction, while the shorter construction time and low maintenance will mean less congestion caused by roadworks. Lighter materials can also be transported more efficiently."
The project is still in the conceptual stage, but if all goes according to plan, Rotterdam could have its first plastic street within three years.
