In 2026, Utah began recycling 35 miles of US 50 in place instead of hauling away the old road; the method reuses 90% of the material and is expected to save $5 million

Between Scipio and Aurora in Utah, a 35-mile section of US Route 50 is being completely restored without transporting any truckloads of the old asphalt away. According to a 2026 report in AASHTO Journal, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) used a method that reuses around 90% of the old road materials on site, saving around $5 million compared to a standard re-pave.

If you’re a millennial or Gen Z homeowner who’s ever been put off supporting a local bond to improve roads, this is the kind of project that can help improve your perception of infrastructure. Not the most exciting project, but it could help change the way in which American states maintain their 4 million miles of roads.

So what is this process, exactly?


This is called cold-in-place recycling (CIR). Rather than removing the old road surface and transporting it to a landfill or recycling centre, the old top layer of road is ground up and mixed with rejuvenating oils and asphalt binders. This can then be laid down to create a new road surface. This has helped reduce the time it takes to complete the project by around 40% and reduce the overall greenhouse gases emitted by nearly 90%, according to UDOT's own project estimates.

This is due to no trucks needing to be moved to and from the site. “This CIR process helps us decrease the amount of maintenance, address our roads that need a little love, and stretch our budget to the best of our ability,” Chavis Jensen, UDOT Region Four Engineer, said in the agency’s own announcement. This is also backed by research. A 2018 peer-reviewed study titled “Environmental Benefits of Cold-in-Place Recycling,” published in the Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, showed that cold-in-place recycling can help reduce energy consumption by an average of 23%, CO2 emissions by 23% and water use by 20% compared to the standard mill-and-overlay method. The study also showed that 37% less virgin aggregate was used.

The catch and why should this matter

This method is typically done by closing one lane and shifting traffic into an opposing flow. This is fine on a two-lane road in the middle of Utah; however, it wouldn’t be suitable on busy roads like I-15. The Federal Highway Administration’s own technical guidance on cold recycling says that this recycling method works best on low-volume roads with specific types of damage. This isn’t the miracle cure to America’s pothole plague; however, it is a great resource to use in certain situations. The agency has said it does not use the method on high-volume highways such as I-15.

Transportation budgets are often tight, and road maintenance usually isn’t in the news unless a car gets stuck in a pothole. Whilst methods like this won’t help fix America’s crumbling infrastructure, it can help save money. Saving $5 million on one 35-mile road may not seem much; however, if other states begin using this method on the thousands of miles of rural roads, the money saved could add up. UDOT has also said it plans to use the method again next summer on a rural stretch of I-70 through Salina Canyon, notably a lower-traffic section of that interstate, rather than one of its busy urban corridors. Although it’s a small story involving asphalt in the desert of Utah, it gives a glimpse into how states could begin to view roads as something they can recycle.