The UK government is poised to inject additional funds into the road maintenance and infrastructure sector. According to Grant Shewan, MD of road maintenance supplier Red Stag Materials, builders’ merchants are in a perfect position to take advantage of the influx.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has announced £640bn of gross capital investment into the UK’s roads, railways, schools, hospitals and power networks by the end of the parliamentary term. This investment, which amounts to triple the average spend made on infrastructure, means an additional £2.5bn added to the pothole repair fund aimed at addressing the significant backlog that already exists in the UK.
And whilst hot asphalt is normally purchased in large quantities directly from plants, using cold asphalt solutions to pothole problems has the potential to provide a unique opportunity for builders’ merchants to supply effective road repair products to both the public and private sectors.
One such cold asphalt solution, EZ Street, a product manufactured by Red Stag Materials, is already being supplied to councils up and down the country to conduct vital road repairs. Available in one tonne and 22kg bulk bags, the product has a long shelf life which means they can easily be stocked by merchants and sold on by them, directly to where they are needed.
Grant Shewan, Managing Director of Red Stag Materials, said: “EZ Street is a fully HAPAS approved permanent repair cold asphalt. The one tonne and 22kg bags available to buy are unique to the UK market, and this gives builders’ merchants the chance to hold the product themselves and be involved in the sort of larger projects that they wouldn’t have had the stock for before.
“What has made EZ Street so attractive to councils is that it can be stored and used when needed, rather than hot asphalt solutions that require heavy plant and significantly more manpower. As more and more councils, utility contractors and civil engineers begin to turn to EZ Street for the benefits it provides, merchants are uniquely placed to capitalise — and benefit from the proposed increase in infrastructure spend as a result.”
Grant continued: “We’re looking forward to working with builders’ merchants and helping them make the most of what is a really exciting time in the road maintenance and infrastructure sector as we come out of lockdown.”
EZ Street is already being used across the country from the north of Scotland to the south of England by councils looking for an effective solution to permanently repair public roads, and — due to its ease of storage and use — it is said to have been an especially effective repair solution during the additional challenges presented by the COVID-19 lockdown.
Brian Allison, a Depot Supervisor with Renfrewshire Council, said: “EZ Street is conveniently packaged in one tonne bags, making it ideal for loading onto vehicles. Once compacted, the material binds and remains within the repair and there is no lateral movement or creeping over the joints. Cosmetically the material looks like any other DBM and blends in with the surrounding materials. We have had no issue with loss of stone or material failing even in high volume/impact areas, making this an excellent product when conventional materials are not available.”
For more information, go to: https://redstagmaterials.com/
