Consider, for a moment, the roads you drive on. Did you know that rubber tires running along the pavement sometimes end up as recycled material inside the pavement? Mixing rubber with asphalt to pave roads dates back to the 1920s. Experiments in the Netherlands proved that rubberized roads can withstand heavy traffic with no degradation.
Roads with rubber embedded have other advantages, too. Studies have shown that this type of road material is less brittle when temperatures are below freezing. Fewer cracks mean less road maintenance is required, saving time and money for highway departments.
Rubberized roads are also slower to freeze when compared to ordinary asphalt paving. They are more skid-resistant, too. So, rubber makes roads safer.
Paving embedded with rubber has been used for airplane runways, city streets, and multilane freeways.
You can learn more about the rubber in your roads by reading the John S. Bugas papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.
For more information, visit the American Heritage Center site.