Cal Recycle Rubberized Pavement Grant Program

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) is dedicated to advancing the state’s waste tire reduction efforts by promoting the use of tire-derived products. Through the department’s Green Roads program, CalRecycle is reducing the amount of tires disposed in California’s landfills by putting waste tires to new use as rubberized asphalt concrete (RAC). The Rubberized Pavement (TRP) Grant Program provides assistance to local governments to fund RAC projects, including hot mix and chip seal, to help decrease the adverse environmental impacts created by unlawful disposal and stockpiling of waste tires.

RAC is a proven road paving material that has been used in California since the 1970s. It is made by blending ground tire rubber with asphalt binder which is then mixed with conventional aggregate materials. This mix is then placed and compacted into a road surface. Crumb rubber from scrap tires can be used in various ways in roadway rehabilitation. The most common applications are rubberized hot-mix asphalt resurfacing over existing asphalt or concrete pavement, and rubberized stress absorbing membrane, also known as chip seal.

There are many benefits to RAC, including being cost effective, durable, safe, quiet and an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional road paving materials.

• Cost effective: It is a longer-lasting, more durable pavement that resists cracking, rutting and shaving, and requires no special paving equipment. RAC can be used at a reduced thickness compared to conventional asphalt overlays, which may result in significant material reduction and cost savings. In addition, lower maintenance costs and increased longevity may result in life-cycle cost savings.
• Durable and safe: RAC is long lasting and resists cracking. When designed and constructed properly, studies have shown that it lasts as much as 50 percent longer than conventional materials. It provides a skid-resistant surface for better traction and retains its darker color longer so that striping and road markings are more clearly visible for safer driving.
• Environmentally friendly and quiet: California produces more than 40 million waste tires annually. A two-inch-thick RAC resurfacing project uses about 2,000 scrap tires per lane mile, keeping thousands of tires out of landfills with every paved mile, and also reducing noise pollution with noticeably lower tire noise.

The City of Laguna Niguel qualified to receive $126,000 under the 2021-22 Rubberized Pavement Grant Program.  All projects under the program are required to use only California-generated waste tires processed in California, and use a minimum of 300 pounds (equivalent to 15% by weight) of tire-derived crumb per ton of rubberized binder.  The following project was funded by CalRecyle’s 2021-22 Rubberized Pavement Grant Program:

• Niguel Road from Alta Terra to Highlands Avenue
• Avenida Del Caballo, Pasofino, Avatar, Campeon, and El Barat (between Star Drive and Charreadas)
• Baroness Lane and Duchess Street (between end of cul-de-sac and Hidden Crest Way)

As a result of the program approximately 9,627 scrap tires will be diverted from landfills.