Some 23,000 tons of asphalt removed during work this summer at the site of the proposed Uranium Processing Facility has been put to use throughout the Y-12 National Security Complex, officials said.

Potholes and gravel roads are now “paved” with the recycled asphalt that has been ground into a material called base course. Unlike gravel, the material tends to rebind into a solid form as it is packed down, thus sending it back to its former life as asphalt.

“With the tough winter we had earlier this year, we needed to fix some roads around the site,” said Y-12 Road and Grounds Manager Brian Hutson. “This material is good not only for fixing potholes and ruts, but it can be used to essentially pave a gravel road, and that makes it much easier for us to maintain it. Washouts are a big problem on some of our gravel patrol roads.” [Read more…]