Elliot Lake Uses Recycled Asphalt For Major Paving Project

The City of Elliot Lake got creative with rehabilitating the parking lot of its municipally owned ski hill last year, using investments from the Canada Community-Building Fund.

The Mount Dufour Skill Hill is a popular attraction in Elliot Lake, regularly hosting competitive races, big air competitions and welcoming visitors every weekend.

Prior to rehabilitation, the ski hill parking lot was in poor condition.  The surface was mostly sand, full of potholes and had poor drainage. The Municipality wanted to ensure the parking area was safe for visitors and looked for cost-efficient ways to increase the lifespan of the infrastructure, while decreasing maintenance costs and wear and tear on snow removal equipment.

For the past few decades, the municipality has stockpiled asphalt removed from roads and other infrastructure. Elliot Lake staff proposed the idea to recycle some of the 30,000 cubic metres of material into new asphalt for the parking lot.

The cost savings of using recycled material, combined with investments from the Canada Community-Building Fund, meant the project could move forward.

More than 6,000 cubic metres of raw material was crushed on-site and hauled to Mount Dufour where it was used to resurface the lot. This project opened the door for Elliot Lake staff to explore more uses for the crushed material.

Aside from that, it’s also saving volume at the local landfill. The municipality has decided to recycle the material for future use, helping to divert waste from its municipal landfill.