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The city of Bellevue has undertaken a project created to give their streets a little far 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.

Starting with a modest stretch of sidewalk on NE 10th, just west of 102nd Ave NE, the experimental footpath will assist the city evaluate the long phrase fees and durability of rubber sidewalks as opposed to concrete ones. If the project proves profitable, city officials program to use the rubber pavers in yet another 700 sidewalk areas throughout the city.

One of the principal advantages of the rubber sidewalks is their ability to bend. Though everybody loves a shady, tree lined street - when those gnarly old roots start tearing up the pavement, kids trip, wheelchairs get stuck, individuals sue. When this occurs, it is a bit of a showdown: sidewalk vs. tree. Final year, 12 trees lost the battle and had to be reduce down. Even when the tree can be spared, if the roots are cut to save the sidewalk the tree can nonetheless die. Either way, all the time and cash spent on upkeep is costly.

The alternative is to pave the sidewalks with some thing that can co-exist with the trees, anything like rubber that will not crack beneath pressure. For pedestrians, the rubber is a slightly softer surface to stroll on that can put a bit of a spring in the step. Much better traction and enhanced accessibility for folks in wheelchairs are other ground-level benefits. But maybe the most appealing benefit for Bellevue employees and citizens is the reality that the recycled tiles are very good for the surroundings, preserving the trees and turning what would have grow to be landfill into some thing absolutely everyone can be satisfied about. The rubber sidewalk tiles are created out of recycled tires with about 5 tires compressed into each two inch thick paver.

The rubber sidewalk initiative is just 1 of several environmentally friendly projects undertaken by the nearby government in the past year. In an effort to minimize their municipal carbon footprint, Bellevue has also adopted land use patterns that lessen sprawl, sought approaches to preserve the city's tree canopy, turned one of their beloved golf courses into a wildlife sanctuary recognized by the Audubon Society and started out acquiring hybrid autos for the city fleet. new tires coppell