Five miles of the A47 Acle Straight have been resurfaced using recycled material from other roads in a pioneering procedure highways chiefs say could be replicated elsewhere.
Work on the notorious stretch of road, between Acle and Great Yarmouth, has been happening overnight since May and will continue until later this month.
But bosses at National Highways - the government company responsible for the road - hailed the use of a new technique which they say will save 400 tonnes of carbon compared to if usual recycling methods had been used.
What is known as a cold recycling bound material was used on the road - a paving material made up by recycling existing road materials, such as asphalt and concrete.
Resurfacing work on the Acle Straight (Image: National Highways)
The process takes the 'old' material, crushes it into aggregate, injects it with air and water, and then produces a new foamed bitumen.
A low-carbon recycling plant close to the A47 was used, so material did not have to be transported long distances.
National Highways worked with contractors Heidelberg Materials and WSP for the project.
Alice Grandidge, National Highways project manager, said: "This scheme presented the ideal opportunity to resurface a road effectively but in a low carbon way - from the materials we use, where we sourced it from, how we mixed it and when we work on it."
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However, there remains frustration in Norfolk that the Acle Straight is still not earmarked for dualling - despite decades-long calls for the road to be improved.
Achieving that is one of the priorities of the A47 Alliance, made up of council and business representatives in the region.
Paul Bristow (Image: UK Parliament)
Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow recently took over from Norfolk County Council's Graham Plant as chairman of the cross-border alliance.
Mr Bristow said he remained committed to the alliance's three priority schemes for dualling - the Acle Straight, Tilney to East Winch and Peterborough to Wisbech in Cambridgeshire.
The Conservative mayor said: "An upgraded A47 means faster growth, safer journeys and more investment in our towns and cities.
"It means new homes, new jobs and a stronger economy for the whole region. The fact it remains majority single carriageway is a stark reminder of the lack of investment in the East which has gone on for decades.
"I’m proud to chair the A47 Alliance and will be banging on the doors of government, with partners, until this road gets the upgrades it deserves."
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