ARLINGTON, Texas — A civil engineering professor at the University of Texas at Arlington is using recycled and unrecycled plastic waste products to fill in cracks and reduce rutting in roads.

What You Need To Know

  • A Texas college professor has received a grant of almost $950,000 to implement plastic road materials in Texas highways

  • Plastic products, both recycled and unrecycled, are expected to improve the strength and durability of Texas highways

  • Plastic will also be used to reduce cracks and improve the durability of highway pavement via moisture barriers

  • Plastic materials are slated to first be used in Kaufman, Texas

Professor Sahadat Hossain received a nearly $950,000 grant from the Dallas district of TxDOT to implement the “plastic road” material on Texas highways. The first implementation of this material will be in the Kaufman area. The use of plastic products is expected to improve the strength and durability of the highways as well as serve as a substitute for bitumen in asphalt pavement roads.

Hossain’s team has successfully completed a lab investigation that studies the reuse of plastic waste in asphalt. The professor recently met with World Bank to implement this idea in developing countries.

Separately, Hossain was awarded a $637,000 grant by the Fort Worth district of TxDOT to reduce cracks and improve the durability of highway pavement and shoulders through implementing moisture barriers. These barriers will be used in five locations in the Fort Worth district and in two in the Dallas district.

“The technology proposed and the benefits discussed have a potential of cost savings to the department. Due to the results described on rutting of the pavement, this would be beneficial to address a concern of rutting pavement within our system with a potential increased durability,” Ricardo Gonzalez, director of TxDOT Fort Worth, said. “We look forward to identifying a way forward to work with The University of Texas at Arlington and Dr. Hossain.”