Calgary’s Lafarge Construction has become the Supplier of Choice for the City of Calgary’s Parks Department.

Earlier this year, the City of Calgary was at an impasse with their pathway systems in Nose Hill Park. The Parks Department wanted to pave the pathways to allow park access for wheelchairs and to minimize the trail maintenance required during the wet months of the year. Public opinion, however, wanted to keep Nose Hill Park in the pristine and natural state that currently exists.

Lafarge approached the City with the option of using DuraTint™, a Lafarge Branded Product asphalt mix with a “clear” binder. Clear asphalt has all of the physical properties of conventional asphalt but with a “clear” colour similar to wet gravel.

This asphalt would provide the durable surface that the Parks Department wanted while still maintaining the natural pathway look that the users of Nose Hill Park wanted to keep. After several discussions and trial samples, the Parks Department was convinced that this was the material that should be used.

The DuraTint™ asphalt mix for this project was designed and produced in Calgary. The trial project for the City was successfully completed on November 20, 2005. In December 2005, a second project specifying Lafarge Clear Asphalt was put out for tender at Kananaskis Park east of Calgary.