A New Technology for Cooling Roads is being tested in Saudi Arabia.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs, and Housing, the Roads General Authority of Saudi Arabia has initiated a new trial to cool down the country’s roads. The objective of this newly introduced technology is to minimize the amount of heat that the roads absorb during the daytime, as they can reach high temperatures of up to 70 degrees Celsius. At night, the heat absorbed by the roads is released, leading to a scientific phenomenon referred to as a heat island

The heat island phenomenon is what keeps people from taking a walk during summer nights, a representative from the Roads General Authority told Arab News

The newly developed technology uses cold pavements, which absorb and reflect less solar radiation, thus reducing the surface temperature of the roads compared to traditional pavement and making temperatures much more moderate during summer nights

The technology has been developed for residential roads and populated areas, including the waiting areas at bus stops and metros and walking areas in residential zones, the representative said

It was tested in two major locations in Riyadh, and results have demonstrated its success, added the representative

The new technology is part of a series of initiatives taken by the Kingdom to improve the quality of life and lower temperatures, such as a project undertaken by the ministry to paint buildings with specific materials to reduce the heat they absorb

“The Roads General Authority recently opened a central laboratory that is conducting studies to improve the experience of road users in the Kingdom,” the representative added