Posted on 07/25/2006 8:00:50 PM PDT by jonesboheim
For reasons of safety and ease of maintenance, Washington and dozens of other communities are installing rubber sidewalks made of ground-up tires.
The rubber squares are up to three times more expensive than concrete slabs but last longer, because tree roots and freezing weather won't crack them. That, in turn, could reduce the number of slip-and-fall lawsuits filed over uneven pavement.
And the rubber sidewalks are considered more environmentally friendly: They offer a way to recycle some of the estimated 290 million tires thrown out each year in the United States, and they do not constrict tree roots the way concrete slabs do.
Since 2001, Rubbersidewalks has been grinding thousands of old tires into crumbs, adding chemical binders and baking the material into sidewalk sections that weigh less than 11 pounds a square foot, or a quarter of the weight of concrete. The panels are available in two shades of gray and a terra cotta orange.
Many of the squares have been installed in areas where damage from tree roots, weather and snow removal have required sidewalk replacement or major repairs every three years, said Lindsay Smith, founder and president of Rubbersidewalks. Rubber sidewalks are expected to last at least seven years, Smith said.
The District of Columbia has spent about $60,000 to replace broken concrete with the rubberized panels here and there in a residential neighborhood northeast of the Capitol where towering willow oaks line the street.
The panels are firmer than a running track or a rubberized playground, but far more resilient than concrete.
Dr. Frank Kelly, a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in Macon, Georgia, said people walking on the surface would be less vulnerable to heel spurs and knee and back problems.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I'm no enviro-weenie, but it sounds like a good idea to me! I wonder if there's any drawbacks - like maybe a burning-rubber odor when they get heated up on extremely hot days?
I'm trying to remember if this is what they used for certain roads back home, albeit in a simpler form. There's a portion of Route 2 in Vermont where the pavement is an odd faded color, almost pinkish...and I seem to recall it's rubber of some sort. Anyone know what I'm talking about?
The rest of the road wears out, buckles, gets replaced, but I swear, that pinkish part has been the same surface (a few small patches, but not many) for as long as I can remember. Makes me wish they used it on more roads there, despite the expense - some of the potholes and frost heaves will eat your car and spit out the pieces. Not pretty. We used to joke about needing a rating system for 'em instead of the innocent little "Bump" signs the worst would get. You *knew* to slow down when the sign was handmade...
Does this mean no mre shin splints?
There's nothing "enviro-weenie" about recycling when a product is produced that actually fills a need AND performs well. Polar fleece comes to mind--warm warm warm, washable, dryable and doesn't itch. This looks like a good product as well.
Their website also shows that they are also working on a weed abatement product. I would pay big bucks for something like that. I absolutely HATE yardwork!
I'm guessing they forgot to mention the thickness, maybe four inches?
Lousy sidewalk job if you ask me.
This seems to be a product similar to synthetic decking, like Portico and Veranda (trademark symbol applies to each), which are both primarily composed of ground up recycled plastic, wood dust, adhesive, and dye. The synthetic decking costs about twice as much per square foot as conventional wood decking does; however, it's just about impervious to the elements and doesn't require the constant care and replacement that wood decking does. Thus, the synthetic stuff is very good if you're replacing your old deck or installing a new deck.
Normally I don't have much use for the greenies and their ideas. However, recycled products like synthetic decking and these rubber sidewalk panels do fill a definite need and are very good. Indeed, the synthetic decking is so good that I put my money where my keyboard is last year and had all of my house's wood decking replaced with Veranda last year.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.