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Talking the talk on rubber walks
City considers replacing concrete sidewalks with recycled material that won't crumble
By Matt Viser, Globe Staff | September 13, 2006
They sound like something Willy Wonka invented, not the latest craze in civic improvement.
But rubber sidewalks are the wave of the future, according to an initiative going before the Boston City Council proposing the city begin installing walks made from recycled tires instead of concrete.
Supporters say tree roots would get a break, snow removal would be easier, runners would be less prone to injuries, and those confined to wheelchairs would have smoother rides. Even repairs would mean benefits because noisy jackhammers wouldn't be needed.
``This is a win-win," said City Councilor Robert Consalvo , who is sponsoring the measure. ``This may sound simple, but I think it's fascinating."
Dozens of cities across the country are trying out rubber, which costs about a third more than concrete. Supporters say the extra cost is worth the ease of maintenance and other benefits.
The destruction of concrete sidewalks by tree roots -- a constant cause of constituent aggravation, Consalvo said -- is a major incentive for installing heavy rubber tiles in their place. As roots spread, concrete sidewalks crack. The city then trims the tree roots and repairs the concrete, only to have the roots do the same thing a year or two later. About 15 percent of the 35,000 trees in Boston have broken, cracked, or lifted a nearby sidewalk, according to a citywide tree census completed last month.
Advocates of rubber say the high-tech sidewalks accommodate roots without breaking and can be removed to let city foresters trim back invasive roots before they become so large that they cause problems.
``These are huge, huge problems for cities," said Lindsay Smith , president of Gardena, Calif.-based Rubbersidewalks Inc., the only company currently marketing the sidewalks. ``This solves two of the environmental problems: diverting waste tires, and saving the urban forest from destruction."
The rubber sidewalks are actually a series of stiff tiles made from shredded auto tires and polyurethane, which is compressed and heated. The tiles are mounted in frames laid out on the ground.
Supporters say they are highly durable and can be ordered in virtually any color.
Rubberized sidewalks were invented about eight years ago when a public works inspector in Santa Monica, Calif., had a dream about the material after spending a long day examining sidewalks cracked by tree roots. Several years later, Rubbersidewalks Inc. took the idea and began marketing it. Since then, communities and private companies across the country have decided to try it out. A Wal-Mart in McKinney, Texas, has a bright red rubber sidewalk. Outside the courthouse in San Fernando, Calif., a gray rubber sidewalk surrounds a tree. Washington, D.C., recently launched a pilot program to test the sidewalks.
The rubber sidewalks cost about $15 per square foot, compared with about $10 per square foot for concrete , Smith said.
Most of the extra cost, she said, is from shipping the material from California. By February, the company hopes to cut freight costs significantly when it opens a manufacturing plant in Lockport, N.Y., to market the sidewalks on the East Coast. They've received several dozen inquiries from New England in the past two months.
Consalvo's proposal will be introduced today , and if it passes, a hearing would be scheduled. He hopes money for a pilot program could be budgeted for next year.
Michael Galvin , Boston's chief of basic services, said he is interested in the idea but not completely sold on it.
``How do those products deal with the harsh New England winters? And with the shoveling and all that, would you dig it up?" Galvin said. ``You couldn't use it in historic districts, I imagine."
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.
(Clarification: A story and accompanying graphic in yesterday's City & Region section about a proposal to install rubber sidewalks in Boston included several cost comparisons with concrete sidewalks. The prices of rubber sidewalks vary from city to city in large part because of varying shipping costs from the company's headquarters in California. Because of a graphic artist's error, the depth of the rubber sidewalks was incorrectly stated in feet. The actual depth is 1.875 inches.)
City considers replacing concrete sidewalks with recycled material that won't crumble
By Matt Viser, Globe Staff | September 13, 2006
They sound like something Willy Wonka invented, not the latest craze in civic improvement.
But rubber sidewalks are the wave of the future, according to an initiative going before the Boston City Council proposing the city begin installing walks made from recycled tires instead of concrete.
Supporters say tree roots would get a break, snow removal would be easier, runners would be less prone to injuries, and those confined to wheelchairs would have smoother rides. Even repairs would mean benefits because noisy jackhammers wouldn't be needed.
``This is a win-win," said City Councilor Robert Consalvo , who is sponsoring the measure. ``This may sound simple, but I think it's fascinating."
Dozens of cities across the country are trying out rubber, which costs about a third more than concrete. Supporters say the extra cost is worth the ease of maintenance and other benefits.
The destruction of concrete sidewalks by tree roots -- a constant cause of constituent aggravation, Consalvo said -- is a major incentive for installing heavy rubber tiles in their place. As roots spread, concrete sidewalks crack. The city then trims the tree roots and repairs the concrete, only to have the roots do the same thing a year or two later. About 15 percent of the 35,000 trees in Boston have broken, cracked, or lifted a nearby sidewalk, according to a citywide tree census completed last month.
Advocates of rubber say the high-tech sidewalks accommodate roots without breaking and can be removed to let city foresters trim back invasive roots before they become so large that they cause problems.
``These are huge, huge problems for cities," said Lindsay Smith , president of Gardena, Calif.-based Rubbersidewalks Inc., the only company currently marketing the sidewalks. ``This solves two of the environmental problems: diverting waste tires, and saving the urban forest from destruction."
The rubber sidewalks are actually a series of stiff tiles made from shredded auto tires and polyurethane, which is compressed and heated. The tiles are mounted in frames laid out on the ground.
Supporters say they are highly durable and can be ordered in virtually any color.
Rubberized sidewalks were invented about eight years ago when a public works inspector in Santa Monica, Calif., had a dream about the material after spending a long day examining sidewalks cracked by tree roots. Several years later, Rubbersidewalks Inc. took the idea and began marketing it. Since then, communities and private companies across the country have decided to try it out. A Wal-Mart in McKinney, Texas, has a bright red rubber sidewalk. Outside the courthouse in San Fernando, Calif., a gray rubber sidewalk surrounds a tree. Washington, D.C., recently launched a pilot program to test the sidewalks.
The rubber sidewalks cost about $15 per square foot, compared with about $10 per square foot for concrete , Smith said.
Most of the extra cost, she said, is from shipping the material from California. By February, the company hopes to cut freight costs significantly when it opens a manufacturing plant in Lockport, N.Y., to market the sidewalks on the East Coast. They've received several dozen inquiries from New England in the past two months.
Consalvo's proposal will be introduced today , and if it passes, a hearing would be scheduled. He hopes money for a pilot program could be budgeted for next year.
Michael Galvin , Boston's chief of basic services, said he is interested in the idea but not completely sold on it.
``How do those products deal with the harsh New England winters? And with the shoveling and all that, would you dig it up?" Galvin said. ``You couldn't use it in historic districts, I imagine."
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.
(Clarification: A story and accompanying graphic in yesterday's City & Region section about a proposal to install rubber sidewalks in Boston included several cost comparisons with concrete sidewalks. The prices of rubber sidewalks vary from city to city in large part because of varying shipping costs from the company's headquarters in California. Because of a graphic artist's error, the depth of the rubber sidewalks was incorrectly stated in feet. The actual depth is 1.875 inches.)
