Could recycled glass make Montreal roads more durable?

MONTREAL — Could the future of better Montreal roads lie at the bottom of your next drink?

Kidding aside, some engineers at ÉTS, the engineering school, certainly hope so.

They’ve teamed up with the City of Montreal, Transports Québec and the SAQ hoping to combine recycled glass with asphalt to build a new, stronger asphalt that can withstand Montreal’s harsh weather conditions, road salt and heavy traffic.

The $450,000 pilot project will last three years, but some results will be known well in advance.

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If the pilot project proves successful, Montreal hopes to roll out the new product of glass and asphalt on its city streets within a few years.

“When you combine that with the new products, new technologies, then obviously we’re going to hope to have among the best quality roads in North America,” said Lionel Perez, Montreal’s executive committee member in charge of infrastructure.