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The city of Bellevue has undertaken a project developed to give their streets a small much 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 aid the city evaluate the long phrase fees and durability of rubber sidewalks as opposed to concrete ones. If the project proves productive, city officials plan to use the rubber pavers in yet another 700 sidewalk areas all through the city.

1 of the primary advantages of the rubber sidewalks is their capacity to bend. Although everybody loves a shady, tree lined street - when those gnarly old roots start tearing up the pavement, children trip, wheelchairs get stuck, people sue. When this happens, it's a bit of a showdown: sidewalk vs. tree. Last year, 12 trees lost the battle and had to be cut down. Even when the tree can be spared, if the roots are reduce to save the sidewalk the tree can still die. Either way, all the time and funds spent on upkeep is expensive.

The option is to pave the sidewalks with one thing that can co-exist with the trees, something like rubber that will not crack beneath pressure. For pedestrians, the rubber is a slightly softer surface to stroll on that can place a bit of a spring in the step. Better traction and improved accessibility for folks in wheelchairs are other ground-level positive aspects. But probably the most appealing advantage for Bellevue employees and citizens is the fact that the recycled tiles are excellent for the surroundings, preserving the trees and turning what would have grow to be landfill into something absolutely everyone can be pleased about. The rubber sidewalk tiles are made out of recycled tires with about 5 tires compressed into every two inch thick paver.

The rubber sidewalk initiative is just a single of numerous environmentally friendly tasks undertaken by the neighborhood government in the previous year. In an effort to decrease their municipal carbon footprint, Bellevue has also adopted land use patterns that minimize sprawl, sought approaches to preserve the city's tree canopy, turned one particular of their beloved golf courses into a wildlife sanctuary recognized by the Audubon Society and started out buying hybrid vehicles for the city fleet. engine repair