Environmentally-friendly alternatives to asphalt could be used on Norfolk's roads, as part of push to cut the county's carbon emissions.
Experts in Norwich are looking to come up with new materials to use in highway maintenance.
Norse Highways manage and maintain about 6,000 miles of highways on behalf of Norfolk County Council - fixing potholes and resurfacing roads.
But the materials used, such as asphalt, bitumen and concrete are described by county council officers as a "significant source" of carbon emissions.
And, as part of an initiative to cut carbon emissions from companies owned by the council, engineers based on the County Hall site in Norwich are looking to develop alternatives to the traditional materials used in road maintenance.
Norfolk Partnership Laboratory, which is part of Norse Highways, already provides specialist expertise in road design, engineering and construction.
And officers at County Hall say: "This centre of excellence will be key in identifying and specifying innovative engineering solutions for the council and other customers that will produce primary and secondary reductions in carbon emissions.
"This could include advancements in asphalt technology and increased use of recycled materials."
The Conservative-controlled cabinet at Norfolk County Council is due to agree, at a meeting on Monday (May 2) to set out carbon reduction targets for the companies it owns.
As well as Norse Highways, those include Norse Care, which supports nearly 1,500 people in residential care homes and housing with care schemes.
The report recommends that Norse Care should improve energy efficiency of its properties.
Other companies the council would expect to get greener include Hethel Innovation Ltd, which owns Scottow Enterprise Park and Repton Property Developments, which builds homes on council-owned land.
Greg Peck, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for commercial services and asset management, said: “The county council is making substantial progress towards net zero on its own estate – we’re now turning our attention to our wholly-owned companies, which together can help reduce the county’s carbon emissions significantly.
“This makes environmental sense and commercial sense."
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