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Rubber Roads

SINCE 2018

Rubber roads first piqued our interest when we learned that simply adding recycled tires to an asphalt mixture increases road durability, extending the life of the pavement by 30 percent and reducing maintenance needs over the life of the road, such as filling cracks. Reducing maintenance needs is an important target because it limits time Georgia DOT employees have to spend working on dangerous, high-speed interstates. Other benefits include reduced road noise and improved water management. The rubber in the asphalt binder is strong and resilient enough to use semi-porous or more porous pavements, where the rock in the pavement is fitted more loosely together, allowing water to drain through the pavement and off the sides of the highway. This keeps water from pooling on the surface of the highway during rains storms where it can cause splash-back onto cars; windshields, obscuring drivers’ view and causing vehicles to hydroplane. Reusing scrap tires can also help control public health dangers related to tire dumps, tire fires and breeding groups for disease-carrying mosquitoes.

ALONG THE RAY

The Ray supports monies raised on tires being used for scrap tire recycling market development and illegal dumping abatement. The following state programs provide counties and municipal governments with reimbursement for either the cost, or the any additional costs, associated with rubber modified asphalt paving projects. State DOT grants for specification development and demonstration projects with control strops for comparison are also often provided.

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) “Market Development Program:”

https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/materials-management/scrap-tires/grants

• EGLE will reimburse 50 percent of the cost of purchasing scrap tire material, not to exceed $133 per ton
• EGLE will reimburse 50 percent of the cost of equipment, research and development, which includes rubberized paving and rubberized chip seal projects
• A minimum 50% match funding or in-kind is require

Kentucky Division of Waste Management “Rubberized Asphalt Grant” program:

https://eec.ky.gov/Environmental-Protection/Waste/recycling-and-local-assistance/waste-tires/Pages/default.aspx

• Eligible recipients only local governments
• Funds the cost of installation of either chip seal or thin asphalt overlay utilizing rubber-modified asphalt, and associated testing and documentation of performance
• Requires a Construction Completion Report and periodic Progress Reports, to include results of testing and long-term monitoring
• Local governments must agree to apply a conventional chip seal or conventional thin overlay on a road of their choice with similar characteristics to allow for comparison testing and monitoring

Kentucky Division of Waste Management “Crumb Rubber/Tire-Derived Products Grant” program:

https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/opsp-policy-and-sustainable-practices/community-programs-and-services/tire-environmental-act-program–teap-.html

• Eligible recipients can include private sector partners
• 75/25 match grant with a minimum 25% match funding or in-kind is required (of total cost of project)
• Allowable uses include the purchase of product, including crumb rubber and tire-derived products utilized in the project, and actual transportation costs
• Does not include costs to install or apply the product, not project promotion or publicity costs

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation “Tire Environmental Act Program” (TEAP):

https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/opsp-policy-and-sustainable-practices/community-programs-and-services/tire-environmental-act-program–teap-.html

• Eligible recipients can include private sector partners
• Projects must use TN scrap tire material
• Funds projects that use tire-derived material as well as research and development
• Range of funding $10,000 – $750,000

In 2019, the first mile of interstate lanes on The Ray, starting at the Georgia-Alabama state line and including the parking lot of the rest area, was paved with asphalt that contains rubber from 3,520 recycled scrap tires. That’s 42,240 pounds of rubber out of the landfill and into the road.

In March, 2018, The Ray, Troup County & C.W. Matthews partnered to pave the new Tom Hall Parkway that runs adjacent to The Ray with a rubberized asphalt mix. The project used over 32,000 pounds of recycled tire rubber (RTR) in the top layer or “wearing course” of the road, which represents the rubber taken from over 2,500 end of life passenger tires.

FUTURE INNOVATION

Higher concentrations of recycled tire rubber in asphalt projects around the country have returned even better results, and we look forward to testing a 20 percent “asphalt rubber” mix near The Ray in the future.