For Immediate Release –
San Rafael, CA –
CalRecycle grant funds secured for road maintenance using recycled tires
The Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) will begin a road sealant project in late September, conducting preventative maintenance on 11.3 miles of pavement on roads in unincorporated areas of Marin County.
The project will address roadways in the unincorporated areas of Inverness, Woodacre, Strawberry, and San Rafael, as well as a portion of Point Reyes Petaluma Road from Nicasio Valley Road to Platform Bridge Road.
The $1.7 million project will utilize recycled tires as one of the materials for the road sealant process. DPW was awarded a $250,000 rubberized pavement grant through the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) for this eco-friendly approach. This project will prevent approximately 6,000 tires from going to waste. The remainder of the funding comes from the County’s Road and Bridge Rehabilitation fund.
The CalRecycle grant is intended to encourage the use of recycled tire material in appropriate road sealant projects when they meet the technical specifications for the alternative material. By reducing the need for new materials, rubberized pavement reduces the environmental impacts that are commonly associated with standard pavement treatments.
“Using techniques like rubberized paving is a great way to simultaneously improve our road quality and support our community wide efforts to reduce Marin’s carbon footprint,” said Rachel Calvert, DPW Senior Civil Engineer. “Using old tires for preventative road maintenance stops them from becoming landfill waste or being illegally dumped, which ultimately would contaminate our environment.”
Construction is anticipated to take place weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and will require traffic control measures. This will include lane closures with up to 10-minute delays. Residents and businesses along the impacted roads will be notified directly by the contractor in advance of the work with specific details such as dates, times and expected conditions. Residential roads may need to be closed for one work shift of up to eight hours. However, emergency service vehicles will always be provided access.
Roadway signage will be in place in advance of any lane closures that will impact traffic. Drivers should always remain alert and drive slowly through the construction zone for the safety of construction crews and the travelers. Additionally, travelers need to follow all signage to avoid driving on fresh sealant, as doing so can damage vehicles and the new road material.
Preventative maintenance helps extend the life of pavement and can delay the need for repaving, avoiding expensive and disruptive rehabilitation projects. This proactive approach calls for keeping good roads in good condition, rather than having them fully deteriorate through their lifecycle.
Relative to major rehabilitation efforts, various preservation treatments can be applied to a road segment quickly and at a fraction of the cost, making them an inherently sustainable activity and a financially responsible option. These low environmental impact treatments are often used to extend the functionality of the pavement. Pavement preservation takes significantly less energy and mined materials than major rehabilitation activities, lowering greenhouse gas emissions over time.
Improving roadway conditions across unincorporated areas of Marin has been long-standing County commitment and is one of the top priorities for the Board of Supervisors. Ultimately, the County’s roads program is a hybrid strategy of pavement preservation, pavement rehabilitation, and road reconstruction projects. The long-term strategy is to maintain a quality road network across unincorporated Marin in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
Contact
Rosemarie Gaglione
Director
Public Works
3501 Civic Center Drive.
San Rafael, CA 94903
(415) 473-6530