[hip]

Don't know if anyone else in the frozen parts of the US or Canada have seen this yet, but they are really going crazy repaving all of Phoenix with this new rubberized asphalt.

They use recycled tires broken down to the very small grains. If you haven't experienced it yet, it's pretty amazing stuff.

There are still some sections of concrete road around but once you hit the rubberized parts... smooooooooth and quiet! Makes the TSX ride even better and so quiet you'd be amazed! 1blue1.gif


Here is a small part of the article in case you haven't heard of it yet:

The Arizona Republic
Mar. 12, 2004 12:00 AM

"We're targeting areas where there are residential properties," said Matt Burdick, an Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman. "It's another tool in another toolbox to reduce noise."

Road closures will continue every weekend for the next 10 to 12 weeks on sections of Loops 101 and 202 and on Arizona 51 in Phoenix. The spring paving could take longer if the weather gets cold or rainy, Burdick said.

The Valley is a national pilot site for rubberized asphalt. There are plans to pave 115 miles of freeway. The asphalt is made of recycled tires broken down to the consistency of coffee grounds.

"The rest of the country basically is watching what we're doing with the expectation that as the study proves rubberized asphalt holds up over time, the rest of the country could decide to use it to reduce noise," Burdick said.

The state measures freeway noise before and after the new asphalt is laid.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/chandler/articles/0312mtips12Z6.html

 

[Whatchamacallit]

Everything about it sounds great (so far).
Reduced road noise, smoother ride, and recycling of old tires.

I'm really interested in how the rubber will hold up in the melting-hot road temperatures of Arizona. I'm guessing it will provide better wet traction but I'm not convinced it's strong enough to handle the regular wear and tear. Plus, testing for snow and icy conditions would have to be performed elsewhere. Here's hoping that this technology proves to be a success.

Thanks for being the guinea pigs.

 

[Altersys]

I'm wondering what will happen once the rubber loses its natural oils... and how long that should take.

-Alt

 

[hip]

I'm wondering what will happen once the rubber loses its natural oils... and how long that should take.

-Alt

They started installing these about 3 or 4 years ago in limited areas. So far I've seen little to no wear.

If those piles of "tire mountains" you see in a junkyard or landfill are a good indicator, it could be years before you see and serious degradation. Tires and plastic seem to last forever, that is partly why they are so expensive to recycle.

Asphalt is far softer and is used more frequently, it seems to last about 3-5 years depending on temperarture and traffic conditions. The pulvreized tires should not only cushion the ride but strenthen the asphalt mix as well.

 

[larchmont]

Very interesting. All I can add to what y'all have said is :sprint:

BTW over the years the thought has crossed my mind that it could be good if road surfaces were something like that.
But I had no idea it was feasible or that anything like old tires could be used for the material.

 

[vp911]

ahhh it wouuld be great if they did that here in detroit... damn roads are horrible as it is.... they should do all the roads with it just intime for the superbowl in 06 i wish...

ill live with the crappy roads for a long time - thats my guess at least

 

[larchmont]

At least you don't have to live with a crappy basketball team any more! You have it over us New Yorkers.

 

[vp911]

At least you don't have to live with a crappy basketball team any more! You have it over us New Yorkers.

go pistons!... on the other hand im a huge hockey fan..so go wings... the tigers and lions are another story completely... ehh maybe someday there will be hope for them? lol

 

[larchmont]

go pistons!... on the other hand im a huge hockey fan..so go wings... the tigers and lions are another story completely... ehh maybe someday there will be hope for them? lol

Yanks = 8-11
Tigers = 11-8

(Hmmm, is there a pattern there?)

I think we'd have to say there's hope for the Tigers.

 

[vp911]

haha i have no hope for them yet... just wait for another 50 games...and then watch.... although maybe illitch will invest more money in the tigers - and there will be hope..who knows

 

[hip]

Now that summer is finally here... projected temp was for 108 F today, but actually went to 111 F with the roadways scoorching! Beyond all the shredded tires littering everywhere, the new rubberized asphalt is really holding its own.

Almost every major section of roadway is now covered with this stuff and its great! I've made an interesting observation today and will monitor to see if it holds true or not.

While driving along a section of the 101 where there are still patches of concrete surfacing, I noticed the outside temp indicated 112 degrees F. Whenever I passed over the newer rubberized blacktop (@ ~70-75mph), the temp dropped to about 108 F.

My first impression is the blacktop is soaking up the heat while the white concrete stretches are reflecting? It will be interesting to see how this works out as the summer progresses and if the reverse occurs in the evening due to the heat island effect? Night time temps have been increasing here due to the massive construction and sprawl.

Anyway, thought you might be interested to know that the TPMS indicated 145 F for the front tires at 36psi. Normally when cold they are at 32 psi and 85-90 F degrees. This seems to be the hotest I've seen them go so far. I guess I should contact Michelin to find out what they consider a critical temperture extreme? :devil:

 

[TSX 'R' US]

Wow...tire temps were up there huh? Let us know what you find out. Hey, would a tennis ball bounce higher on those roads?

 

[Whatchamacallit]

Thanks for the update, Hip.

Great to hear that the new rubberized roads are holding their ground. rrrrrrrrr6

Speaking of soaking up the heat, god bless those poor road kills on the new rubberized roads. They would be struck by a vehicle, killed, and then cooked to perfection in 1 hour tops, right on the spot. (f)(l)(a)(

:nervous: Ok, I hear PETA coming after me now. :nervous:

 

[jcg878]

If this experiment does well, is there really such a supply of old tires to pave the US??

jcg, who doesn't study tire quantities

 

[TSX 'R' US]

If this experiment does well, is there really such a supply of old tires to pave the US??

jcg, who doesn't study tire quantities

I'm sure there are... As long as they're not all like that pile of burning tires in Springfield

 

[hip]

If this experiment does well, is there really such a supply of old tires to pave the US??

jcg, who doesn't study tire quantities

You're joking right? Tire recycling has been the most difficult technology to perform cost effecitvely for years. There are literally mountains of tires all accross the U.S. (probably Canada and Mexico too).

Up until this new technology was developed to shred them small enough for road resurfacing, the best they could come up with was recycling tires to make hockey pucks.

With literally thousands, possibly millions of old tires around, how many hockey pucks could you sell?

No, I wouldn't worry about running out of old tires. Now if someone could come up with a way to recycle them into clean burning fuel, that would be worth celebrating! :festive:

 

[jcg878]

Sorry, I know nothing about used tires