Durham Region wins the OPWA Project of the Year Award for the Newtonville Road Project

Whitby, Ontario – At a recent ceremony, Durham Region staff were presented with the Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA) 2022 Project of the Year Award in the Transportation, less than $2 million category for the Newtonville Road (Regional Road 18) Rehabilitation with Recycled Materials Project.

Newtonville Road, in the Municipality of Clarington, was the location for an innovative project that used recycled materials in road construction. The first phase of the project was completed using conventional road rehabilitation methods and materials. The second phase of the project used recycled materials on an adjacent section of the same road.

Phase two incorporated several blue box materials in the road reconstruction process; reusing about 400 tonnes of recycled glass from blue box collections in the granular base, and approximately six tonnes of recycled plastics from blue box collections, and 4.5 tonnes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres made from recycled plastics in the asphalt.

This pilot project provided an opportunity to explore the reuse of glass processed from blue box collections in the Regional Road program. Using recycled materials from blue box collections could help reduce the volume of aggregate materials mined and trucked in for road construction, while possibly increasing the strength, durability and overall pavement life cycle of the road network.

To learn more about the Newtonville Road Rehabilitation Project, please visit durham.ca/NewtonvilleRoad.

The OPWA Public Works Project of the Year Award was established to promote excellence in the management and administration of public works projects by recognizing the alliance between the managing agency, the consultant/architect/engineer, and the contractor who, working together complete public works projects. To learn more about the OPWA, please visit their website at: ontario.cpwa.net.

Quotes:

“The Newtonville Road Rehabilitation Project demonstrates Durham Region’s commitment to innovation by looking at ways to reuse recycled municipal material, while also improving our environmental footprint. This project is the first of its kind undertaken by The Regional Municipality of Durham. It was carried out by studying the findings from over 60 years of experience with nearly 100 pavement trial sections around Canada. This recognition from the OPWA promotes Durham Region as a leader in this industry.”

-          Ramesh Jagannathan, Director of Transportation and Field Services

“The future of Durham Region’s waste management includes looking at using wastes as a resource to improve the circularity of our economy. By instruction of Durham Regional Council, staff found a way to incorporate materials from blue box collections into road construction. Receiving the Project of the Year award from OPWA shows the impact that this type of project can have on the future of road construction while finding a new use for recycled materials.”

-          Andrew Evans, Director of Waste Management

Quick facts: 

• The Newtonville Road (Regional Road 18) Rehabilitation Project—a 3.6-kilometre stretch of roadway in the Municipality of Clarington—provided an innovative opportunity for road construction.
• Road work was completed in two phases that helped assess and evaluate the performance of traditional and recycled materials.
• Phase one was completed in fall 2021, recycling the existing road base and using other traditional materials.
• Phase two, was completed in fall 2022, included recycled materials from blue box collections for a beneficial new use.

• If successful, using recycled materials from blue box collections (Phase two) could help reduce the volume of aggregate materials mined and trucked in for road construction, while possibly increasing the strength, durability and overall pavement life cycle of the road network.

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