City trying for asphalt with scrap tires

LIMA - The city is hoping to secure a grant for a road project improved with asphalt made with ground scrap tires.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources' $150,000 grant is far from a certainty, city Public Works Director Howard Elstro said. The last time the city applied, it lost out.

However, if successful, the city's road improvement project on Collett Street from the Ottawa River to Market Street would use 900 scrap tires, saving the landfill space and creating a roadway with a life expectancy that's four years longer.

The high-quality asphalt is a grade higher than what's used on Interstate 75, Elstro said. It resists rutting under heavy loads, resists cracking and reduces traffic noise and emissions. It also stays blacker longer and maintains its thermal qualities, reducing the amount of snow and ice removal products needed.

The grant requires a 100 percent match, and the city is trying to use the grant for truck routes in the city not eligible for other state funding.

The tires are ground to a consistency of pepper and mixed with asphalt and stone. About 20 pounds of rubber per mixed ton, or about 2,000 tires for each mile of road, are used in the mix.

The grant fits well with a philosophy of environmental efforts at the city, Elstro said.

"You might say, ‘When it comes to being green, this is where the rubber meets the road,' " he said.