New Zealand’s roads and infrastructure need a revamp, but Taranaki-based Rolco suggests a rethink in their construction is just as important.

When considering roads and roadbuilding, we immediately envision laying down steaming asphalt or thin layers of chip seal. While concrete is used and proven around the world, for some reason, we don’t often consider it for road construction in New Zealand. Rolco NZ is extensive training from international experts, Rolco is now the leading contractor for RCC in New Zealand.

So why RCC? De Bod explains that concrete is often the best choice, but time, cost and the need for extended traffic management make it prohibitive. However, RCC addresses these issues.

While it has similar attributes to conventional concrete, it is constructed without reinforcing steel or mesh. RCC is placed with a paver and then rolled to produce a smooth finish.

RCC has a much higher tensile and compression strength and is, therefore, stronger and more durable. It’s also faster to lay and can be ‘trafficked’ within two to three days.

“We have done a few public roads where we closed the road after peak traffic on a Friday, milled out the existing asphalt road, laid the RCC and had the road open again by Monday.”

De Bod says RCC performs well on a weak subgrade. “It offers a much stronger pavement than structural asphalt for the here to challenge that.

Rolco’s director Willem de Bod suggests Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) is a viable, durable, cost-effective solution for high-traffic areas, especially those serving heavy vehicles.

Rolco began operating at the start of 2022. At its helm are two civil and two mechanical same thickness (typically over 150mm).”

He adds that RCC is ideal for high-load applications, intersections, roundabouts, truck yards, static load areas or where trucks often turn.

“It would be money well spent if we use RCC for those critical areas where the road fails again and again, places where asphalt, even structural asphalt, requires permanent maintenance.

“When we design a building, we design it to last 50 or 100 years. RCC roads can be designed to match the design life of the buildings.

“RCC provides lifecycle cost savings and although it’s tempting to go with the engineers. “I was consulting to ports, and looking for alternative roading solutions,” explains De Bod.

“I came across RCC as the most favourable alternative for heavy loaded roads and hardstands.

“However, we soon realised the complexities around the construction process, which made it unviable for traditional road construction contractors to undertake.”

This was when Rolco was born. Rolco invested in specialist equipment and with cheapest upfront cost, the costs soon stack up when the first reseal needs to be done on conventional roads.

“Ratepayers ultimately benefit from the longer lifespan of RCC, because that maintenance issue no longer exists. The full cost of the project is where we save.

“The trucking industry is one of the biggest users of our roads and should not accept substandard roads and excessive road closures.

“There are better options for the resources and budgets at hand. The trucking industry should really push for that money to be spent on the right options in the right places,” he concludes.