KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — The Road Commission of Kalamazoo County is getting involved in an experimental road project to determine if finely ground tires mixed in with the pavement might be a cure for the common pothole.
Road Commission Manager Joanne Johnson says that project is just getting underway this week.
Kalamazoo will be the first place in the nation to utilize this product and try out the “scrap tire recycling process” to make a powdered dust that they will be combined with the pavement.
She says they plan to use the rubber powder in two different applications along W Avenue, and then see how it holds up after being pounded by traffic and years of Michigan weather.
One will be a “hot rubber chip seal” and the other will be a “hot rubber thin overlay,” according to Johnson.
Road Builders all over the country will be watching for the results to see if the project is a success.
