Client: TRACKS and Perth & Kinross Council
Location: Kinross-shire
Having been introduced to Mackenzie Construction’s sustainable surfacing solution, Smart Surface™, during the Clyde Walkway project in Blantyre, The Regional Access Committee for Kinross-shire (TRACKS) and Perth and Kinross Council approached Mackenzie Construction to discuss the possible use of Smart Surface to upgrade parts of the Loch Leven Heritage Trail.
Sections of the Loch Leven Heritage Trail are showing signs of suffering damage from wear and erosion due to loss of the whin dust surface leaving a vast expanse of exposed Type 1 material and sunken areas of the path where water is collecting, resulting in areas of an unpleasant surface for path users.
Smart Surface was presented as a suitable solution for the Loch Leven Heritage Trail. Following some discussions, and given Mackenzie Construction’s confidence in the product, a small test area was identified near Kinross House for the application of the Smart Surface product to test its suitability as a potential option to upgrade sections of the trail. The solution presented was to apply Smart Surface to a 100m section of the Heritage Trail and finish half of this with 6mm grit and the other half with a bitumen based surface dressing to display both options of finish.
Smart Surface does present an excellent and sustainable solution to pathway upgrades to the Loch Leven Heritage Trail. Given large enough areas, it becomes more cost effective than competing technologies without the need for large numbers of vehicle movements during the construction. While the final lifespan of the product is not yet fully known, all indications are that it will last for at least as long as an asphalt alternative. Carbon savings on this project are determined to be around 43% from reducing the need for imported materials. CBR testing on the area shows a 22% increase following the application of Smart Surface.
