Monday, August 08, 2005
JEREMIAH STETTLER
THE SAGINAW NEWS
This is one project where the rubber really meets the road.
The Saginaw County Road Commission will turn about 1,800 scrap tires into a street this week to test a technology that promises to make mid-Michigan's motorways stronger, quieter and longer lasting.
Officials will repave two miles of Sheridan, from Williamson to the Cass River on the Bridgeport-Spaulding township line, with an asphalt-rubber mix.
The $111,000 project is scheduled for Wednesday.
If successful, Engineer-Manager Jim Lehman said the rubber-made road surface could appear elsewhere in the county.
"If we can make this work, we can get rid of the scrap tires in the county and improve our road system," he said. "It's a win-win situation."
The road surface is composed of tiny bits of rubber, ground into pellets from discarded tires. Those pellets then are combined with asphalt.
The product costs about 50 percent more than normal asphalt -- about $45 a ton, compared with $30 a ton -- but promoters say the rubber lasts 50 percent longer, handles 50 percent more weight and requires little maintenance.
Officials claim the road surface resists cracking and headlight glare. They also say the streets stay black longer, giving off more radiant heat during the winter to thaw snow and ice, and reduce vehicle noise.
Lehman said he is sold on the idea. He said it makes good sense for engineering and environmentalism.
Instead of landfilling the 200,000-plus tires that Saginaw County discards annually, Lehman says the rubber could go back into the streets. Ultimately, he believes the tires could become a retail item rather than a nuisance that now costs the county $33,000 a year for disposal.
"I'm thrilled about it," said County Commissioner Michael O'Hare. "I would like to see tires become a commodity that people want to reuse rather than throw in a ditch."
Asphalt manufacturer Seneca Petroleum Co. of Crestwood, Ill., can't guarantee that the tires used in its mix will come from Saginaw. But company officials said the tires will come from Michigan.
They say it takes about 1,000 tires for every mile of road surface.
While supporters tout the technology on environmental grounds, it will have no immediate effect on how Saginaw County disposes of its tires or how much the community pays to discard them. Change would come only if the demand for rubber-made roads becomes great enough to make worn-out tires a sought-after commodity.
"It's not going to benefit Saginaw County one dime in getting rid of their tires today, tomorrow or next year," said Hugh Chapman, manager of promotions and specialty products for Seneca Petroleum. "But in the future, it's going to."
Lehman said the county first must put the product to the test.
"With any new technology, people are slow to get on the bandwagon," he said. "At some point, you need to be the innovator."
Lehman believes the rubber road surface is well-suited to streets in Taymouth Township that now bear considerable truck traffic. He said the pavement, which is expected to last 23 years instead of the typical 15, would better withstand the wear. v
Jeremiah Stettler is a staff writer for The Saginaw News. You may reach him at 776-9685.
