Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, is a vibrant and growing urban center located in the Andean foothills of northern Ecuador. Due to significant population growth and rapid urban expansion, some areas of the city quickly outpaced the city’s formal planning and infrastructure development. In many of the newly established neighbourhoods, the lack of proper road infrastructure was a key challenge for the city’s residents. Temporary dirt roads quickly became the primary means of transportation, but they posed serious problems for both the residents and the city’s overall development.
Quito, Ecuador
With the city’s growth accelerating and the demand for better road infrastructure rising, the Municipality of Quito recognized the need for sustainable solutions that could address both the immediate transportation needs and the long-term development goals for the city. Among these solutions, soil stabilization emerged as a key strategy to improve road conditions, reduce maintenance costs, and enhance the overall quality of life for residents.
Cypher Environmental’s Role in Soil Stabilization
As part of the ongoing efforts to upgrade its infrastructure, the Municipality of Quito undertook a major project to stabilize two major transport roads in the city. These roads, which had been suffering from the effects of poor soil quality and degradation due to constant traffic, were selected for stabilization to create more durable, safer, and longer-lasting road surfaces. Cypher Environmental’s ROAD//STABILIZR® was chosen as the soil stabilizer of choice for this critical project.
ROAD//STABILIZR® is an innovative and long-term soil stabilization solution, specifically engineered to work on road with high clay content. Typically considered marginal in terms of their engineering properties, ROAD//STABILIZR is not only able to make use of in-situ clay materials but to enhance their properties to yield stronger, longer-lasting and more durable roads. In addition to its superior performance, ROAD//STABILIZR is also environmentally friendly and organic – 100% non-corrosive and non-toxic.
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ROAD//STABILIZR®’s ability to stabilize and strengthen roads, even in challenging soil conditions, makes it an ideal solution for cities and regions that face similar road infrastructure challenges to those in Quito. For Quito, the applications of ROAD//STABILIZR® on the two demo roads proved to be a resounding success. Post-application testing showed a significant increase in road density, which directly translated into a more stable and durable road surface. The stabilized roads were able to withstand the constant flow of traffic as well as adverse weather conditions, reducing the frequency of maintenance but most importantly, making the treated roads safer to drive on for the city’s citizens.
The Success of the Initial Applications and Subsequent Expansion Plans
The positive results from the initial two road stabilization projects prompted the Municipality of Quito to expand its efforts. In response to the noticeable improvements in road quality and the associated cost savings in maintenance, the city scheduled an additional 80 applications for the following year.
The continued use of ROAD//STABILIZR® on other roads in Quito demonstrates the effectiveness of the product in providing a cost-efficient, sustainable solution for urban road infrastructure development.
First published on January 8, 2014 and updated on February 17, 2025.