To make a neighborhood safe, you install sidewalks. That way the kiddies don't choose to walk in the street. To make a neighborhood pretty, you plant trees along the street (appropriately called street trees). But what happens when the pretty trees grow big and the big roots needed to hold up the big trees cause the sidewalk to buckle? Well, you turn to old tires of course.
Leaders in this southwest Ohio city want to install rubber sidewalks made from recycled tires in a neighborhood where tree roots have damaged concrete paths.
City Council on Wednesday night approved an application to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for a grant of $7,050 to buy scrap tires.
With a funding match from residents, the city plans to install 1,000 square feet of rubber sidewalks in place of damaged concrete to test whether they can be effective throughout the city, officials said.
Rubber sidewalks have removable tiles, making it possible to trim tree roots.
“Hamilton's an old city with a lot of beautiful trees, and we don't want to lose those trees because of this disruption with the sidewalks,” said Doris Bergen, chairwoman of the city's tree board.
