National Contracting and Highways Services
We operate Britain's largest road contracting and highways services company - Tarmac National Contracting. We are also the UK's leading producer and supplier of asphalt products; in fact, one-third of all UK roads contain material from Tarmac. We work with local and national road management authorities across the country to deliver sustainable, innovative and cost-effective highways solutions.
Read more on Tarmac National Contracting
We have applied our approach to sustainability in two ways – the first relates to ‘service’ and the other relates to ‘in-use and whole-life benefits’. This section refers to our highways surfacing and maintenance business, but you can read more about our asphalt products here.
SERVICE
Technical expertise and bespoke solutions
Our expert teams collaborate with customers to advise on product selection and designing sustainable, innovative, cost-effective products and services to meet specific technical and sustainability requirements. Our highways services include winter maintenance, lighting, grass cutting and traffic management, among others.
In early 2011, we delivered a series of regional events, which focused on the future of our roads, called Roads 2020. Drawing together road management authorities, government, consultants and Tarmac experts, the events looked at the challenges that lie ahead and the opportunities to work together to provide solutions.
Partnership and value
We have longstanding contracts with local and national road authorities and private contractor clients across the UK, and take pride in continuously improving our performance to bring better service and value for money.
Product portfolio
We are the UK market leader in asphalt, aggregates and ready mixed concrete providing a complete range of products to match our customers’ sustainability and performance needs. More information about the sustainability benefits offered by our comprehensive product range can be found in our specific product sections.
Read more on the sustainability of Tarmac’s products and more on products on the Tarmac website
Measuring carbon footprint
In 2011, Tarmac launched the industry’s first comprehensive Carbon Footprint Calculator. It enables us to provide customers with carbon footprint information for any product from any of our manufacturing locations in the UK. We are also working towards extending the calculator to enable us to provide Contracting customers with carbon footprint information for the installation and long-term maintenance of contracting works.
Read more on Tarmac’s Carbon Footprint Calculator
Community engagement
Our National Contracting teams are the most publicly visible of our operations. It is vital that we create and maintain good community relationships at the sites where we work on a daily basis, especially as we have a number of longer-term maintenance contracts with local authorities. These involve us carrying out work in those areas over several years, which makes long-term relationships with communities even more important.
As with community engagement at our quarrying sites, we always aim to proactively engage with local communities and address any questions or concerns. We also recognise that our products and solutions can help us to build these relationships – whether through quieter or more skid-resistant surfaces, porous asphalt that helps water drainage, or more durable surfaces that mean roads do not need to be dug up and replaced as often.
Read more on community engagement
IN-USE AND WHOLE-LIFE BENEFITS
Future-proofing infrastructure
Building infrastructure to withstand climate change.
Read more on future-proofing infrastructure
Durability
Durability is one of the most important properties in the overall sustainability of asphalt. Improving durability and reducing the need to resurface roads as often minimises the whole-life carbon footprint, helps to preserve finite mineral resources and delivers value for money for clients and the public.
Our National Contracting team helps to plan, design and build longer-lasting roads, using our range of off-the-shelf and bespoke products that deliver durability, flexibility and deformation resistance. Our focus on durable road materials and recycling also enables us to support our clients in reducing and effectively managing CO2 associated with road construction and maintenance.
Water management
We have been developing porous asphalt for more than a decade. TarmacDry, our porous asphalt system, helps our customers to manage the increasingly challenging problem of surface and flood water management. The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 came into effect in England and Wales in 2011, setting out clearer guidelines, roles and responsibilities for the Environment Agency and local authorities for managing surface water. Our products and expertise enable clients to address the sustainability issues related to this legislation as well as overall water management for their assets – roads, car parks, footpaths and all areas for traffic. We also create road surfaces that reduce the amount of spray from traffic, helping to promote road safety and better driver visibility.
Road safety
As with the rest of our business, the safety of our workforce, road users and the public is of paramount importance throughout all our maintenance and highways service works. We operate a traffic management division that provides services to clients across the UK. When carrying out any highways works, we have comprehensive safety procedures and site rules; we also ensure that our workforce is fully trained and has the competencies and equipment to undertake their roles safely.
Reducing noise from roads
Noise reduction is a key issue for road management authorities across the UK. We are able to design road surfaces and offer asphalt products that deliver reduced tyre and road noise. This also brings significant benefits to people living near roads.
Skid resistance
Skid resistance is a key issue for road management authorities across the UK. We design road surfaces and offer asphalt products that deliver improved skid resistance and grip to improve road safety for all users.
