Vialex, the Aragon-based construction and materials company owned by the Sorigué group, took part in the congress on “Public-Private Participation as a Model for Overall Road Network Management”, organised by the Spanish Road Association on 22 and 23 November in Zaragoza.  

The aim behind Sorigué’s taking part in and sponsoring this congress is to support the public-private partnership model promoted by the Government of Aragon, where the company has been building and maintaining roads for over five decades through Vialex.  

Núria Querol, a researcher at Sorigué’s Materials Laboratory, offered a presentation at the congress entitled “Eco-friendly and innovative resurfacing of asphalt roads”. Querol highlighted the need for resurfacing approaches to consider the three facets of sustainability: economic, social and environmental sustainability.  

Innovative Project in Almacelles  

Querol presented the road surface improvement works Sorigué carried out on L-902 in Almacelles (Lleida), bordering the province of Huesca, as an example of public-private partnership.  

This is seen as a sustainable and innovative project for a number of reasons. Firstly, it reused 100% of the milled material from the project through cold in-place recycling with bitumen emulsion; it also employed a state-of-the-art milling-recycling machine, which transported the recycled mix along a conveyor belt to a conventional paver for a more homogeneous mix and better road alignment both horizontally and vertically. 

Plus, 100% plant-based biobinders were used for its formulation, lowering dependency on fossil fuel-based binders. Lastly, a wearing course of just 3 cm was laid using recycled materials. This innovative solution results in CO2 savings of 256 t compared to conventional milling and resurfacing, representing a 35% reduction in harmful emissions.  

Infrastructure and Asphalt Leader in Aragon  

Vialex has been operating in the community for over five decades, completing civil engineering construction projects and residential projects from start to finish, along with road maintenance contracts.  

The company has established a leading position and completed major projects for all three of Aragon’s provincial governments, and for other local development companies.  

The company’s extensive in-house resources, along with its expertise in surface treatment, asphalt pouring and bituminous grout, make it a pavement and asphalt leader.  

Vialex currently has offices in Zaragoza and Huesca, and it employs over 100 people in the region. It also possesses aggregate quarries and asphalt and concrete facilities.  

To recognise its commitment to the circular economy, the company was recently awarded the “Aragon circular” seal. This honorary seal certifies the construction firm’s work to recover and reuse resources, and lower harmful gas emissions.