But they now share the common bond of being the latest destinations to embrace plastic roads made by Lockerbie firm MacRebur.
Three sections of asphalt were put down in the Martorelles area of the Spanish city last Friday, pictured above, to compare MacRebur’s pioneering MR6 and MR8 waste plastic products against a regular road binder.
They were laid by Catalan based firm Agusti Y Masolivier (AMSA), who will now observe and test the performance of the different materials.
MacRebur’s international business officer Roddy McEwen said: “We are delighted to be able to add Spain to the list of countries laying MacRebur roads.
“AMSA owner Andreu Agusti was extremely excited to work with us and hopes to do three more roads soon.
“We are confident that this trial will further showcase the benefits of our products, which are highly engineered to perform in different climates.
“In this instance, we estimate that use of our products equates to a carbon saving of 612 kg compared to standard road production.”
Mr McEwen also revealed that more roads trials are scheduled in Norway in the coming months.
Meanwhile in Carlisle, Lowther Street in the city centre has been resurfaced using MacRebur’s mixture.
It is part of a £1.6m trial scheme between Cumbria County Council and the Department of Transport, looking at the sustainability and suitability of using waste plastic additives in highways construction.
Commenting, Councillor Keith Little, Cumbria’s cabinet member for highways, said: “Cumbria is leading the way in the construction of plastic roads and there is genuine worldwide interest in this ground breaking material.”
Also this week, it was revealed that a MacRebur road in South Africa has been shortlisted for two prizes in the country’s Eco Logic Awards.
The project in Jeffrey’s Bay is a finalist in both the innovation category and the eco build class, with the winners to be revealed next month.
