A three-year trial of a new type of road surface made from graphene, one of the strongest materials known to man, has been completed in the UK. The experiment, conducted in Essex County near London, found that the modified Gipave pavement was more durable and water-resistant than traditional asphalt, reports Popular Science.
The test area included two lanes of traffic - one using Gipave, the other conventional asphalt. After three years of constant traffic from cars and trucks in various weather conditions, independent engineers took samples of the pavement for laboratory analysis.
The results showed that the graphene-infused asphalt demonstrated 10 percent greater hardness and 20 percent better water resistance. Experts also noticed that when Gipave was destroyed, it was the stone aggregate that cracked, not the bitumen that binds the pavement elements. This shows that graphene significantly increases the strength of the material and can make roads safer and more durable.
Asphalt is usually made from a mixture of rock fractions and a viscous petroleum substance called bitumen. However, graphene, derived from graphite, has unique properties. It is an ultra-thin, two-dimensional material composed of carbon atoms arranged in a “honeycomb” structure, a million times thinner than a human hair. It is 200 times stronger than steel and is already used in the production of batteries, semiconductors and other high-tech materials.
The first Gipave project began in 2022. At that time, engineers laid 165 tons of the new material on a section of the highway access road. The goal was to test whether the graphene coating would withstand heavy traffic and temperature changes over several seasons.
Road maintenance remains one of the most expensive problems for governments. In 2021, the United States spent an estimated $206 billion on highway and street repairs, and total losses to drivers from damage to cars due to potholes reached $26.5 billion annually. In Ukraine, 12.5 billion hryvnias were allocated for road repairs in 2025.
Despite its obvious advantages, Gipave's main drawback is its high price. Engineers estimate that the new material costs about 30 cents per square foot (0.0929 square meters), making it too expensive for large-scale road surfaces. For example, resurfacing just one mile (1.6 kilometers) of a four-lane highway would cost at least a few hundred thousand dollars, while upgrading all roads in the United States would cost about $124.3 billion.
However, experts believe that even partial use of Gipave - especially to repair potholes or particularly busy sections - could be an effective solution. It would also significantly reduce road maintenance costs in the future.