City of Gold Coast will trial a locally designed asphalt mix containing recycled tyres or crumbed rubber, in a first for the Queensland city.
Acting Mayor Donna Gates said used tyres are turned into small rubber balls which are melted down and added to the bitumen (the glue that holds asphalt together).
“This recycled rubber is being used successfully elsewhere around the world. In California, it is legislated that recycled tyres have to be used in their asphalt mix.”
Councillor Gates said the test section of road, chosen for its good drainage and high traffic, would be monitored over coming years
for performance.
“These kinds of roads are typically designed to last 20 years, so we’ll use this one as a test and see how it performs.”
The Australian Asphalt Pavement Association and the Australian Road Research Board will emissions test the asphalt (for any pollution) while the City will carry out structural testing on a regular basis.
Dr Laszlow Petho from Fulton Hogan, the City’s contractor, designed the asphalt mix for the trial.
