Gold Coast City Council : Recycled rubber tested on roads

In a City of Gold Coast first, recycled tyres - also known as crumbed rubber - will be used in an asphalt trial at Nielsens Road, Carrara.

The 600 metre stretch of road between Palm Meadows Golf Course and Emerald Lake wetlands is being laid this week.

Acting Mayor Donna Gates said the tyres are turned into small rubber balls which are melted down and added to the bitumen (the glue that holds asphalt together).

'This recycled rubber is being used successfully elsewhere around the world. In California, it is legislated that recycled tyres have to be used in their asphalt mix,' she said.

Cr Gates said the test section, chosen for its good drainage and high traffic, would be monitored over coming years for performance.

'These kinds of roads are typically designed to last 20 years, so we'll use this one as a test and see how it performs,' she said.

The Australian Asphalt Pavement Association and the Australian Road Research Board will emissions test the asphalt (for any pollution) while the City will carry out structural testing on a regular basis.

Dr Laszlow Petho from Fulton Hogan, the City's contractor, designed the asphalt mix for the trial.