More Cities Using KBI Flexi®-Pave

Flexi®-Pave Installed on Atlanta Beltline
Porous, flexible recycled rubber surfacing provides drainage, reduces erosion and improves safety for walkers and cyclists

The Atlanta Beltline is one of the largest urban development programs in the U.S.

A sustainable redevelopment project, the Beltline will ultimately connect 45 interior neighborhoods via a 22-mile loop of multi-use urban trails, improved streetscapes and parks ringing the greater Atlanta area patterned along the railroad corridors that once encircled the city.

A recently completed section is paved with KBI Flexi®-Pave recycled rubber pavement along both sides of a 33,000 foot pedestrian and bicycle path.  The installation of KBI Flexi®Pave increased the width of the existing asphalt path by an average of 2 feet on either side of 33,000 feet of the Beltline Walkway and Bicycle Path.

This will benefit the Beltline by reducing the amount of erosion that occurs following heavy storms which historically caused water to flow off the sides of the asphalt eroding the subbase underneath the asphalt resulting in costly failures and damage to the sides of the asphalt path, Beltline project engineers and planners said.

Flexi®-Pave, a porous, non-cracking insulating and flexible construction material is a mix of recycled tire rubber granule, stone aggregate and a proprietary binding agent.

The ability of KBI Flexi®-Pave to allow 3,000 gallons of water to pass through every square foot of the Flexi®-Pave surface reduces the possibility of stormwater damage, Kevin Bagnall, said.  Bagnall is CEO and President of Atlantic Power and Infrastructure (API), the parent company of KBI Flexi®-Pave.

In addition, KBI Flexi®-Pave naturally provides ‘passive nutrient removal’ as stormwater passes through the Flexi®-Pave porous surface into the aquifer.

Bagnall said that Flexi®-Pave’s porosity and stormwater management capabilities were key benefits Atlanta Beltline project developers looked for during a five year research and testing period prior to launching construction. Before installing Flexi®-Pave, project engineers did extensive in-ground testing and analysis of the material, he said.

The research also showed that Flexi®-Pave’s crack resistant capabilities provide a safer, smoother surface for cyclists and pedestrians reducing the potential for accidents associated with failing, cracked or rutted asphalt.

Tampa Reorders

The City of Tampa, Florida, which has been ordering and installing KB Flexi®-Pave for tree surrounds and other applications that beautify and improve safety for residents and visitors throughout the city is currently installing more of the flexible, porous tree surrounds.

“Once our Flexi®-Pave is installed in any location, we get repeat orders year after year,” Kevin Bagnall, founder of KB Industries and developer of Flexi®-Pave technology said.  Some examples are Key West, FL; Greenville, SC; Cambridge, MA and Tallahassee, FL.

Less long-term maintenance, tree health and reduced trip hazards are among the leading benefits clients cite in their repurchase orders, Bagnall said.  They were also key considerations in Tampa’s decision to reorder and continue to use Flexi®-Pave under the current contract the company is fulfilling.

City of Tampa representatives said they decided to use Flexi®-Pave due to its flexibility after installation.  “In every instance we were able to eliminate tripping hazards without the need to remove old-growth hardwood trees, they said.  “We have begun a campaign to repair sidewalks around our city using KBI Flexi®-Pave to save our trees and minimize the need to remove/kill trees.”

© Scrap Tire News, February 2022