Roads paved with recycled plastic part of Earth Day event Monday in Pueblo County

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Crews will soon begin building what will be considered the world's longest road paved with recycled plastics; it's a key facet in Monday's Earth Day activities outside the county courthouse in downtown Pueblo.

The county plans construction of Medal of Honor Boulevard, a new four-lane road that will create the first direct route between the west side of Pueblo -- where the county is building a new, energy-efficient jail -- and the separate community of Pueblo West.

The 3.5-mile boulevard will stretch from the intersection of 24th street and Pueblo Boulevard, to Purcell Boulevard in Pueblo West, in a project estimated to cost $40 million.

A local recycling firm, Driven Plastics, is supplying the county with recycled plastic store bags and plastic packaging materials that would otherwise end up in landfills; the plastic is mixed with traditional asphalt on-site.

In 2023, the county tested the new material by paving a four-mile stretch of Siloam Road, a gravel road southwest of Pueblo; the area was selected for the test because of its proximity to marijuana growing facilities that produced increased traffic and more costs for road maintenance.

County officials said that after application, the new paving material is more durable and flexible than asphalt alone.

"We truly believe that this asphalt will last 15% to 20% longer than your non-polymerized asphalt mix or chip-sealed road," said Karim Ayoub, the county's paving project manager."

That translates directly to not having to crack-seal, not having to pothole, not having to micro-surface. The long-term benefits are tremendous."

Ayoub said that the new material won't be used for every future road project because it's slightly more expensive than other types of of asphalt; its primary use will be on heavier-used roads.

"We did a few other projects with it last year and have more planned for this year," he explained. "We'll continue to study the test project for another few years, but we're satisfied with how it has performed so far."

Pueblo remains at the forefront of this new material; Ayoub said that the city of Pueblo, Douglas County, Grand Junction and The Colorado Department of Transportation have inquired about it.

"But no one's using it to the extent that we are," he said.

The new boulevard is scheduled for completion late next year -- around the same time as the new jail.

The new paving material was one of several highlights of the county's Earth Day celebration -- titled Planet vs. Plastics -- outside the main courthouse building Monday.