25/02/2022 - Permalink

Tree planted to mark success of carbon-neutral highways maintenance programme

Related topics: Climate change / environment / Highways, transport and environmental maintenance / Partner organisations

A field maple tree has been planted on the Column roundabout in Shrewsbury to mark the completion of Shropshire Council’s £1m carbon-neutral highways maintenance programme – the first such programme in the UK.

(l-to-r) Andy Wilde, Shropshire Council's head of highways; Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council's Cabinet member for physical infrastructure, at the treeplanting at Column roundabout in Shrewsbury

(l-to-r) Andy Wilde, Shropshire Council’s head of highways; Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for physical infrastructure, at the treeplanting at Column roundabout in Shrewsbury

It’s in addition to hundreds of other trees that have been – or will be – planted in rural parts of Shropshire as a result of the programme.

Working in collaboration with contractors Kier and Miles Macadam, and engineering consultants WSP, a trial programme of highways maintenance schemes was delivered across the county last year.

Representatives at the treeplanting at Column roundabout in Shrewsbury

Representatives at the treeplanting at Column roundabout in Shrewsbury

Work was carried out at nine sites, including the A41 at Grindley Brook, the A53 at Shawbury, the A442 at Quatt, ​Coalport Road, the A4117 from the B4363 to Snitton Lane, B4385 Purslow to Three Ashes, B4385 west of the A488, Birch Road in Ellesmere,  and Oswestry Road in Trefonen.

For each scheme consideration was given to reducing the embodied carbon of the construction materials at the design stage by using lower mixing temperatures, lower energy resources and lower bitumen content, whilst producing greater durability than conventional materials.

Treeplanting at Column roundabout, Shrewsbury, Wednesday 23 February 2022.

Treeplanting at Column roundabout, Shrewsbury, Wednesday 23 February 2022.

This led to a reduction of approximately 95-tonnes of carbon emissions.

The remaining 189 tonnes of carbon produced by the programme has been offset through Miles Macadam’s verified carbon reduction programme, and provided Shropshire Council with a variety of British woodland trees to offset the equivalent total embodied CO2, through its Community Tree Scheme initiative.

In addition, the recent planting of 200 trees along a watercourse in Habberley, to slow surface run-off water flow and reduce flooding downstream, provided double the benefit of standard tree planting usually associated with the carbon offset scheme.

People at the recent planting of 200 trees in Habberley

The recent planting of 200 trees in Habberley

In October 2021 the programme was named the winner of the Local Councils Road Innovation Group (LCRIG) award at the Strictly Highways Conference 2021.

Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for highways, said:

“I was delighted to plant a tree to mark the completion of this award-winning programme, the first of its kind in the UK.

“This work recognises the vital need to maintain and operate a safe road network, whilst acknowledging and addressing the effect these operations can have on the environment.

“Shropshire Council’s highways team and our partners have delivered the first carbon neutral, routine highways maintenance programme in the UK and set an example for the rest to follow.”

Shropshire Council has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to net carbon zero by 2030, following a climate emergency declaration in May 2019.

The tree has been planted on the Column roundabout as it’s a visible location, and also replaces a tree that recently died.