Staten Island Considers Rubberized Asphalt To Fight Potholes

To rid city streets of potholes, officials see potential in rubberized asphalt

A trial rubberized asphalt paving project installed on several hundred yards of West Fingerboard Road, a tertiary street on New York’s Staten Island in October 2014, has the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) looking to the the rubber mixture for resurfacing more city streets as soon as next fall.

Without calling West Fingerboard Road’s trial a success, a DOT spokesman said the department sees potential in the mix defined as as blend of asphalt cement adhesive and recycled tire rubber and hopes to further experiment with the asphalt around the city either late next paving season, or fall 2016. The following paving season, beginning in the spring 2017, is also an option, DOT officials said.

“There have been far too many instances where a street has been repaired, only to be riddled with potholes within a year,” Councilman Steven Matteo (R-Mid Island) said in a statement.

Matteo is a member of Borough Hall’s Transportation Task Force, the team of officials that had urged the city to test rubberized asphalt on Staten Island several years ago.

Initially, the DOT was concerned about how a rubber mix would perform in New York City’s harsh climates.Price was another concern. Rubberized asphalt could cost an extra $10 per ton, compared to traditional asphalt.

However, councilman Matteo argued that the money saved in additional road repairs could justify the pricier asphalt.

© Scrap Tire News, February 2016