A 4,000-foot section of Foundry road in South Sioux City, Nebraska, near Siouxland Freedom Park, has been given a makeover using an innovative asphalt blend incorporating two million recycled plastic bags. the project, spearheaded by Jamilla Teixeira, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, also includes paving an extension of the Al Bengtson Bicycle Trail. The initiative received a $500,000 grant from Nebraska Environmental Trust after South Sioux City applied for funding through NET.

The goal of this first-of-its-kind road in Nebraska is to reduce plastic waste and enhance road durability, especially in the face of varying weather conditions. South Sioux City celebrated the paving of Foundry Road with an event at 1801 Veterans drive at Siouxland Freedom Park june 11.

“This is a pilot project, but it is an excellent opportunity to partner with a Nebraska community and test how the mixture will perform under the extreme weather conditions we have here,” Teixeira said. She added that lance hedquist,South sioux City City administrator,contacted her after learning about her collaborations with the First Star Recycling Facility and Nebraska Department of Transportation to support the project.

Teixeira was serving as principal investigator on research studying the feasibility of incorporating waste plastics in asphalt materials (binders and mixtures) and testing the mixture for cracking