According to WPB, New York City is testing two innovative asphalt mixtures on Fordham Road in the Bronx, including one containing 96% recycled materials and another incorporating waste plastic to modify the bitumen binder. Announced by the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) on October 23, 2026, the trials aim to evaluate whether alternative paving materials can improve road durability, reduce reliance on newly manufactured materials, and lower greenhouse gas emissions under real urban traffic conditions.
The experimental asphalt is being used along the eastern section of Fordham Road, between Webster Avenue and Southern Boulevard. The location is part of a major street improvement project involving new bus lanes and safety upgrades. The corridor serves approximately 130,000 bus passengers daily, providing a demanding environment for evaluating pavement materials exposed to frequent bus movements, heavy traffic, and New York's changing seasonal weather.
The first experimental mixture contains 96% recycled material, including 66% steel slag aggregate recovered from steel production. Steel slag is an industrial byproduct that can be processed and used as a substitute for conventional mineral aggregates in asphalt mixtures. By incorporating this material, the city aims to reduce demand for newly extracted construction materials while investigating whether the resulting pavement can withstand the stresses associated with heavily trafficked urban roads.
The second mixture takes a different technological approach by incorporating recycled plastic into the asphalt binder. Instead of relying entirely on newly manufactured polymer modifiers, the formulation uses processed plastic waste, including material derived from beverage bottles, as an alternative modifying ingredient. NYC DOT estimates that the amount of recovered plastic incorporated into the current project is equivalent to more than 1.9 million plastic bottles.
The city also estimates that using the plastic-modified asphalt in this project will avoid approximately 56.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, or around 124,800 pounds. According to the department, this is comparable to the emissions associated with driving approximately 144,135 miles in an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle. These figures are project-specific estimates for the plastic-containing mixture and should not be interpreted as verified emissions savings for the separate 96% recycled steel slag mixture.
For the bitumen industry, the distinction between the two technologies is significant. The steel slag mixture primarily addresses the aggregate component of asphalt production, while the plastic-based technology targets the modification of the bituminous binder. The use of recycled plastic as a polymer modifier does not mean that conventional petroleum bitumen has been completely replaced. Both approaches seek to reduce the use of newly produced materials while maintaining the mechanical performance required for road construction.
The new trials build on New York City's existing experience with recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). According to NYC DOT, its two municipal asphalt plants currently manufacture mixtures containing an average of 40% recycled material. Since 2019, the department has also conducted limited field testing of mixtures containing up to 50% recycled roadway materials and developed a 50% RAP mixture in 2026 for potential future use on city streets.
Recycled plastic asphalt is not entirely new to the city's road network. In 2022, NYC DOT installed three experimental pavement sections on Staten Island using different recycled plastic contents. That earlier project incorporated approximately 10,395 pounds of plastic waste, equivalent to about 214,534 plastic bottles, while the department continued monitoring pavement performance. The Fordham Road project represents a further expansion of the city's field testing of recycled and alternative asphalt materials.
Despite the high recycled content and projected environmental benefits, the long-term performance of the new mixtures remains under evaluation. NYC DOT intends to monitor how the pavements withstand traffic loading, seasonal temperature changes, and other operating conditions. Potential improvements in resistance to pavement damage and reductions in future maintenance requirements have not yet been demonstrated through long-term field results.
For asphalt producers and bitumen technology developers, the trials offer an important opportunity to assess how industrial byproducts and recycled polymers perform in operational road infrastructure. However, larger-scale implementation would require evidence of consistent material quality, satisfactory durability, suitable production processes, and competitive costs compared with conventional asphalt mixtures.
The Fordham Road project demonstrates how recycled materials are moving beyond laboratory development into practical municipal pavement applications. Its significance will ultimately depend on whether the experimental mixtures can maintain acceptable performance over time while delivering the environmental advantages projected by the city.
By WPB
New York Recycled Asphalt, 96 Percent Recycled Asphalt, NYC DOT, Fordham Road, Steel Slag Asphalt, Plastic Modified Bitumen, Recycled Plastic Asphalt, Asphalt Innovation, Sustainable Pavement, Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, RAP, Low Carbon Asphalt, Road Construction Technology, Bitumen Binder Modification
