Newton Abbot link road to become 'carbon negative'

Government stumps up £3.7 million

A Devon road is to become the UK’s first “carbon negative” highway after the government named it as one in just seven in the country to receive cash towards that objective.

The A382 link road development near Newton Abbot is getting £3.7 million to decarbonise the construction and maintenance of the road.

It's from a programme called Live Labs 2, funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and organised by ADEPT (Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport).

The council had to go through a “Dragon’s Den” style pitch to a panel of independent experts.

The A382 scheme will show that moving towards carbon negative highways is possible without the need for offsetting, and will provide a 'live laboratory' opportunity to promote change in the design, construction and maintenance of roads.

Devon County Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and is currently ahead of its targets to being a net zero authority by 2030.

It is already taking steps to drive down carbon emissions in its maintenance of the county’s roads, working with the University of Exeter and maintenance contractor Milestone Infrastructure to develop a "carbon calculator" to identify and measure the carbon produced in every aspect of road repairs and construction.

Potential carbon saving measures proposed for the project include using local recycled materials, ensuring construction plant and equipment is sustainable, installing streetlighting that can generate power, and establishing low maintenance verges and hedgerows.

Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, said: "This project perfectly complements our ambitions for a cleaner, greener Devon with a thriving economy and brings innovation to the heart of infrastructure development in our county."

Dr Dan Lash, from the University of Exeter, said: “We have been working with Devon County Council for some time on assessing the climate change impact of its road projects. This has involved producing innovative tools, and standards that are in the process of being incorporated into national guidance for the sector. We are delighted that this project has been funded and look forward to working with Devon County Council and its supply chain partners to test in practice how low carbon the A382 scheme can be.”

Work on the next phase of the A382 improvements is due to start in spring 2024.