Michelin Partners with UAE Government on Road Project

The Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MoID) in the UAE has announced plans to collaborate with Michelin on a road infrastructure project that would involve the use of recycled rubber. It is the first time that a project of this kind would be implemented in the UAE. As part of the two-month pilot project, recycled rubber asphalt would be used to build public roads. The project is being implemented as part of the government’s drive to achieve sustainability, promote innovation, encourage recycling and create a national green road network.

Michelin is collaborating with MoID for the implementation of the two-month pilot project. As part of the project, a team of specialists will test a mixture of  asphalt and recycled rubber for the development of an asphalt mix that can be used in line with the best national standards for future road construction projects.

Eng. Aisha Al Midfa, Assistant Under-Secretary of the Infrastructure Planning Sector at the MoID, said that the project pointed to the ministry’s keen desire to achieve sustainability and drew attention to the close link between the public and private sectors. She also said that the project was being implemented  as part of the ministry’s goal of keeping pace with the country’s strategic directives.

She added that the project of constructing environmentally-friendly and sustainable roads is meant to minimize noise pollution and the need for maintenance, while contributing to lower carbon emissions and waste production through the use of recycled materials instead of traditional bitumen-based asphalt.

Regional Director of Michelin in the Middle East, Naser Shashaa, emphasized the company’s commitment to achieving sustainability and preserving the environment, through the implementation of its 4R strategy; reduce, reuse, recycle and renewability.

Rubber asphalt is pavement material that comprises regular asphalt concrete which is mixed with crumb rubber and used tires. The Ministry added that the project is part of its efforts to build a green road network in the UAE and develop a sustainable environment and infrastructure.