Tires once recycled can be used to make "rubber highways": this concept will allow the reuse of abandoned railways as roads for trams and cars. This technology was invented and developed by HoldFast Level Crossing, one of the world's leading suppliers of level crossing systems. Its systems are made of rubber and the company has already used around 10 million recycled tires for their construction.
The HoldFast Rubber Highway (HRH) uses elongated rubber panels between and around the rails to create a level, level surface for the passage of cars. The advantage of these rubber panels is their speed of installation and the ease of maintenance (easily removable). In addition, rubber is also very interesting for its acoustic qualities: traffic noise is reduced compared to asphalt.
In terms of the environment, the use of rubber from recycled tires certainly enters the problem of reuse of raw materials and waste treatment: for each mile (1,609 km) of this road, 354.000 recycled tires will be used . Another environmental aspect is the use of abandoned rail tracks: in addition to preserving these tracks, this will allow traffic congestion, thereby reducing pollution linked to traffic jams. Another benefit is the cost of this system: installing a mile of this road is expected to cost 1,4 million pounds (about 2 million euros) versus 20 million pounds (about 29 million euros) for a classic route.
A first test of this system will take place on June 1, 2006 near Corby in Leicestershire. Its purpose is to study the performance of the system, already used for level crossings, under "normal" driving conditions (sudden acceleration and braking). It is funded by the WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Program): originally the WRAP was a government program established in 2001 for waste management but has since become a non-profit association funded by the Department of Environment , Food and Rural Affairs (Defra, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the devolved governments of Scotland, from Wales and Northern Ireland.
Source: This information is an extract from BE United Kingdom number 67 of 8/06/2006 written by the French Embassy in the United Kingdom. Electronic Bulletins (BE) are an ADIT service and can be accessed free of charge on www.bulletins-electroniques.com
Illustration: HoldFast Level Crossing
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