Setting a New Standard: Reflections on a UK Record-Breaking Rejuvenation

Setting a New Standard: Reflections on a UK Record-Breaking Rejuvenation
By Emma Pye, Director at PYE Management Ltd
Recently, I had the privilege of witnessing something truly extraordinary in the highways maintenance world, and I couldn’t wait to share it.
Roadtechs Group just set a new UK record: in under five hours, they treated 9 kilometres of the A1066 trunk road near Thetford using Reclamite, a spray-applied asphalt rejuvenator. This isn’t just fast, it’s groundbreaking. An impressive 70,467 m² was revitalised, allowing the road to reopen before the evening rush hour, a huge win for local communities and businesses.
What makes this achievement even more remarkable is how sustainable it is. The rejuvenation generated only 2.31 tonnes of CO₂e, compared to a staggering 508 tonnes that would have resulted from traditional resurfacing. To neutralise that additional impact, you’d need to plant around 506 trees over 50 years
Roadtechs Norfolk County Council. That’s the kind of environmental impact we’re talking about, real, measurable, and meaningful.
General Manager Adam Lilley described it as the “biggest area of highway we’ve ever treated in a single shift,” expressing pride in partnering with Norfolk County Council to deliver sustainable, high-performance maintenance, and acknowledging the patience and respect of local road users.
Cllr Graham Plant from Norfolk’s council emphasised that this method not only extended road life but also offered exceptional value: “Minimising disruption, reducing carbon emissions, and extending the life of our roads” is precisely the trio of benefits that local communities deserve.
As someone deeply committed to carbon-conscious strategies, I’m particularly encouraged by this. The carbon data for Reclamite from RSTA research has already shown its low emissions during production and installation, this record-breaking application reinforces that it’s a tool for driving down whole-life carbon across our road networks.
What this means for the sector:
We are showing that prevention and maintenance, not reactive replacement, are not only viable, they’re game-changing.
We can deliver speed, sustainability, and value all at once, a trifecta that shifts industry expectations.
Demonstrating leadership like this inspires confidence, in local authorities, in government, and in the communities we serve.
In short, this is how we reframe the narrative: not just about fixing roads, but about maintaining them smarter, greener, and with purpose. Reclamite isn’t just a product, it’s a statement of intent. And seeing it applied at this scale, so successfully, is genuinely exciting.
Here’s to more forward-looking projects like this, where innovation meets real-world impact. If you’d like support crafting similar case studies, carbon impact insights, or thought-leading content, we’d love to help bring that to life.