PlasticRoad and Orbia, in collaboration with Mexico City, have inaugurated the first PlasticRoad pilot in Latin America. The PlasticRoad is a mobile construction concept that can store rainwater under its surface from where it can gradually infiltrate in the soil.

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Placement of a Plastic Road section showing the water storage cavities located directly below the road surface
Placement of a PlasticRoad section showing the water storage cavities located directly below the road surface. (photo: PlasticRoad)
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Placement of a Plastic Road section showing the water storage cavities located directly below the road surface
Placement of a PlasticRoad section showing the water storage cavities located directly below the road surface. (photo: PlasticRoad)

Light and fast to install

With its prefab plastic sections, the PlasticRoad is four times lighter than a regular asphalt road. The sections can be placed on a sandy surface without any extra foundations. The elements are hollow and fitted with cables and pipes, including sewage pipes and water drainage systems. Sensors are included to check the road’s performance, temperature, and number of users.

The concept has been developed and brought to market by Dutch pipe supplier Wavin and construction firm Volker Wessels/KWS. The first PlasticRoad constructions are two bicycle lanes in the Dutch towns of Zwolle and Giethoorn (2018). The bicycle lane in Mexico City marks the international role out.

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Placement of a Plastic Road section in Mexico city
The prefab sections are easy to install and need no foundation. (photo: PlasticRoad)
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Placement of a Plastic Road section in Mexico city
The prefab sections are easy to install and need no foundation. (photo: PlasticRoad)

Heavy rainfall

At the presentation of this new infrastructure, Sameer Bharadwaj, CEO of Orbia said to be proud of the inauguration in Mexico City. ‘At Orbia, we work at the intersection of basic and advanced materials and infrastructure solutions that advance life around the world. With the partnership of the local government, we can support this incredible global capital and its citizens on the journey to climate resilience.’

Mexico City and its greater metropolitan area is facing potable water challenges, stemming from a growing population (more than 22 million people and rising), heavy rains caused by the compounding effects of climate change, pollution due to the generation of plastic waste and aging infrastructure. With record annual rainfall of over 2.1 billion cubic feet, Mexico City’s water management issues have impacted drinking water availability and citizens’ quality of life.

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PlasticRoad bycicle lane in Mexico City
The PlasticRoad bicycle lane fits in Mexico City's policy for sustainable mobility. (photo: Plastic Road)
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PlasticRoad bycicle lane in Mexico City
The PlasticRoad bicycle lane fits in Mexico City's policy for sustainable mobility. (photo: Plastic Road)

Sustainable mobility

Secretary dr. Marina Robles García of the Mexico City Environment Secretariat (SEDEMA) referred to the city’s environmental policy for sustainable mobility. ‘One of the initiatives is the PlasticRoad. We are very pleased it will add to a sustainable future for Mexico City. An initiative like this combines the idea of seeking sustainable mobility in the city with the idea of giving new life to plastic waste as reusable material to build new infrastructure’, Robles García said.

Eric Kievit, Managing Director at PlasticRoad, states, ‘Our third pilot in Mexico is an opportunity to test our product under a different set of climate conditions, which will provide us with significant data in order to explore international markets outside our country of origin—the Netherlands—in the future.’

Inauguration of the first PlasticRoad pilot in Latin Amerika in the Chapultepec Forest, Mexico City.
This news item is based on content originally published on the websites of Orbia and PlasticRoad.