Rubber Roads

Students from AGBU Alex & Marie Manoogian School in Michigan.

Problem Statement

Problem: Today, we have many environmental issues in our world. Not reusing materials is an example of this. Our local roads constantly seem to be reconstructed. For Michigan, this may be because of potholes that develop in the roads. The asphalt mix that is being used is not the best: financially, environmentally, and most importantly, is it not the best method for the people driving on those roads. Some of our roads are not adequately equipt to deal with severe weather conditions, which can result in car accidents. Also, rubber seems to be an important material that is in abundance and can be easily recycled. There are at least 275 million scrap tires in stockpiles in the U.S. Scrap tires pose three environmental threats: they are an extremely difficult to extinguish fire hazard; they trap rainwater which can breed mosquitos that spread diseases; and they are bulky, virtually indestructible hazards that often work their way back up to the surface of landfills after burial .

Solution: To improve the environment and the roads for our citizens, we have created a new method for paving our roads. We plan to create an asphalt mix with a 70:30 ratio of 70% rubber mix and 30% being the other necessary asphalt substances needed to create a safer pavement for roads. Through this, we will increase the recycling of scrap tires which are filling America's landfills. We can reduce the amount of potholes because it will be much more difficult to them to form on rubber-based roads. Also, the percentage of accidents can reduce because tires on rubber will increase friction and cause a car to come to a more abrupt halt to prevent a collision with another vehicle.