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The city of Bellevue has undertaken a project developed to give their streets a little a lot more bounce. Taking cues from cities like Seattle, Olympia and Tacoma, Bellevue city hall launched a pilot project this year that will test the viability of rubber sidewalks in the downtown core.

Beginning with a modest stretch of sidewalk on NE 10th, just west of 102nd Ave NE, the experimental footpath will support the city evaluate the extended term fees and durability of rubber sidewalks as opposed to concrete ones. If the project proves effective, city officials program to use the rubber pavers in one more 700 sidewalk locations throughout the city.

A single of the major positive aspects of the rubber sidewalks is their capability to bend. Though everybody loves a shady, tree lined street - when those gnarly old roots start tearing up the pavement, young children trip, wheelchairs get stuck, people sue. When this happens, it is a bit of a showdown: sidewalk vs. tree. Last year, 12 trees lost the battle and had to be reduce down. Even when the tree can be spared, if the roots are reduce to save the sidewalk the tree can nonetheless die. Either way, all the time and funds spent on maintenance is expensive.

The alternative is to pave the sidewalks with anything that can co-exist with the trees, some thing like rubber that will not crack beneath pressure. For pedestrians, the rubber is a slightly softer surface to walk on that can place a bit of a spring in the step. Better traction and improved accessibility for men and women in wheelchairs are other ground-level advantages. But maybe the most appealing benefit for Bellevue employees and citizens is the fact that the recycled tiles are good for the environment, preserving the trees and turning what would have turn into landfill into anything everyone can be pleased about. The rubber sidewalk tiles are made out of recycled tires with about 5 tires compressed into each and every two inch thick paver.

The rubber sidewalk initiative is just one of a lot of environmentally friendly tasks undertaken by the neighborhood government in the past year. In an work to reduce their municipal carbon footprint, Bellevue has also adopted land use patterns that minimize sprawl, sought methods to preserve the city's tree canopy, turned 1 of their beloved golf courses into a wildlife sanctuary recognized by the Audubon Society and started out buying hybrid cars for the city fleet. city garage tires