October 12, 2005
TOLEDOBLADE.COM

After watching tires continue to beat up area roads, Lucas County Engineer Keith Early decided to use tires to make roads more durable.

A recently paved portion of King Road, between Sylvania Avenue and Brint Road, was coated with an asphalt blended with ground tire rubber. The 0.8-mile stretch will serve as a test to determine whether this more expensive asphalt is worth the price.

The asphalt costs 11 percent more than the county's typical choice, a high-performance asphalt modified with pieces of plastic.

"We decided to do it, to give it a try and see if it is better, like [the manufacturer] claims," Mr. Early said. "We will look at it over the winter, then decide if we want to pursue a grant."

More than 1,000 tons of asphalt was used in the King Road project. The equivalent of 2,000 ground-up tires were included in the mix.

The total project cost was about $58,500, of which $6,000 covered the additional cost of the ground-tire asphalt additive.

Mr. Early said the ground tire rubber is supposed to be stronger, resists rutting, and cuts down on noise made by tires.

Additionally, the asphalt is supposed to stay black longer, keeping the pavement warmer in the winter so less road salt is needed.

"It is definitely a different material, although people driving over it won't know the difference," Mr. Early said.

Jim Walters, manager of the Lucas County Solid Waste Management District, said together with the city of Toledo, the county paid $76,660 to dispose of 41,500 tires last year. Though local tires were not used for the project, Mr. Walters hoped they will be in the future.

"Right now, tires are used in landfills and sometimes as mulch or ground up for playgrounds. But if you look at it overall, how much of those tires are really getting used?" he asked. "There's a little more cost incurred [with this asphalt]. But if it does what it says, it's worth the investment."