Durable and highly modified MODBIT HiMA bitumen will be used on one of the city's main streets. The use of this modern technology on the renovated Kartuska Street will extend the road's lifetime and improve its acoustic comfort. Drivers and residents will benefit from a durable road that is quieter by 2-5 decibels. The investment is in the final stage and is scheduled for completion in mid-December this year.
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The extension of Kartuska Street in the section from Otomińska Street to the city border as part of national road no. 7 is one of the investments that qualified for the “15 investments for LOTOS Asfalt's 15th anniversary” programme announced by the company. Its essence was to replace medium-modified bitumen with highly modified bitumen – MODBIT HiMA. The decision of the developer to use MODBIT 45/80-80 bitumen in a special low-noise SMA 8 bitumen mix is compliant with the sustainable development policy and the European Green Deal.
“The application and use of the highly modified MODBIT 45/80-80HiMA asphalt for the wearing course will result in improved surface durability and increased resistance to deformation and extreme temperatures in both summer and winter. The use of highly modified bitumen provides significant environmental benefits, reducing the carbon footprint through fewer traffic jams, less frequent maintenance interventions, as well as the associated transport and construction material consumption. It is worth noticing that the bitumen has been used in this project in a special low-noise surface, thanks to which the noise heard by the residents living near the road will be significantly reduced” stresses out Adam Ciołkowski, Bitumen Business Director at LOTOS Asfalt.
“The extension of Kartuska Street is one of the key areas in Gdansk. In order to reduce future traffic jams related to maintenance, we decided to use durable and proven materials such as MODBIT HiMA highly modified bitumen. The intensive traffic on this section of the road requires fatigue and deformation-resistant technologies and improved acoustic comfort in the neighbouring developed area. We are pleased that the investment will enable comfortable traffic of residents of Gdańsk and other regions, connecting the main roads with national road no. 7 and the motorway” convinces Paweł Zieliński from the Directorate of City Development of Gdańsk.
“It was the first time we had the opportunity to produce and lay a bitumen mix with the highly modified binder MODBIT HiMA. I am happy to say that, despite the autumn weather, we managed to build and compact it correctly, achieving high parameters of the surface. This required us to have good delivery logistics and respect temperature regimes. Considering the better parameters: high resistance to rutting and the effects of water and frost, this will certainly pay off with fewer maintenance and warranty interventions in the future” says Arkadiusz Nastały, the Production Director of the Bituminium company.
“The investment will reduce the operating costs of the vehicles and reduce travel time and drivers’ working hours. It will also help to reduce the emission of traffic pollutants into the environment and improve acoustic comfort in the developed areas nearby. Another major benefit of the project will be the improved safety” adds Jerzy Miotk, manager of the “Kartuska Street Extension” project.
Highly polymer-modified bitumen is a new version of technically advanced bitumen. The level of modification with a polymer of the SBS type is more than twice as high as in modified bitumen products, which are commonly used for wearing course of road surfaces. The high modifier content results in a microstructure of the bitumen with a predominantly polymeric phase, thanks to which the product has enhanced functional parameters.
LOTOS Asfalt offers its customers a wide range of bitumen products: road, modified (MODBIT), industrial and specialist. In the recent years, the company has introduced innovative products to the Polish road construction market: modified bitumen with rubber additive (MODBIT CR), road bitumen WMA, and highly modified bitumen MODBIT HiMA for the construction of long-life road surfaces. The company is constantly expanding the range of its capabilities by way of innovative development of its services and products. Therefore, in addition to the production activities carried out in Gdańsk, it uses the potential of its production facilities in Jasło and Czechowice-Dziedzice to produce a wide range of special bitumen products. LOTOS Asfalt is also a manufacturer and supplier of low-sulphur marine fuels MGO, RMD80, meeting very strict environmental requirements on the Baltic Sea. As part of the EFRA production facility in Gdansk, the company carries out deep crude oil processing for Grupa LOTOS.
Press Office, Grupa LOTOS S.A., ul. Elbląska 135, 80-718 Gdańsk, tel. 58 308 72 29, 58 308 70 44, e-mail: media@grupalotos.pl
