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The city of Bellevue has undertaken a project developed to give their streets a small 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 support the city evaluate the lengthy phrase expenses and durability of rubber sidewalks as opposed to concrete ones. If the project proves profitable, city officials strategy to use the rubber pavers in another 700 sidewalk areas throughout the city.

1 of the major positive aspects of the rubber sidewalks is their capability to bend. Although everybody loves a shady, tree lined street - when those gnarly old roots begin tearing up the pavement, kids trip, wheelchairs get stuck, folks 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 cut to conserve the sidewalk the tree can nevertheless die. Either way, all the time and income spent on maintenance is costly.

The option is to pave the sidewalks with something that can co-exist with the trees, some thing like rubber that won't crack under pressure. For pedestrians, the rubber is a slightly softer surface to walk on that can put a bit of a spring in the step. Better traction and enhanced accessibility for people in wheelchairs are other ground-level advantages. But possibly the most attractive advantage for Bellevue staff and citizens is the fact that the recycled tiles are good for the environment, preserving the trees and turning what would have grow to be landfill into one thing absolutely everyone can be content 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 projects 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 techniques 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 buying hybrid cars for the city fleet. engine repair