The material, now being tested on California roads, is made using recycled PET plastic and promises longer-lasting road treatments.
As part of its commitment to the sustainability goals laid out in L.A.'s Green New Deal, Los Angeles became the first city to install recycled plastic asphalt on a city street, writes Haley Rischar.
The concept of recycled pavement panels first took hold close to two decades ago when city leaders in L.A.'s coastal neighbor, Santa Monica, sought a solution to broken sidewalks caused by tree roots. To accommodate the roots and provide a smoother right-of-way for residents, Santa Monica has used rubber panels made from recycled car tires to repair sidewalks constantly under threat from unruly tree roots since 2001.
Now, a segment of First Street near near City Hall is receiving the treatment. The innovative product is infused with recycled PET plastic that "has the potential to reduce the use of petroleum in asphalt." Although not yet tested on roads, the material promises to have five or more times the strength of normal asphalt and last more than twice as long, saving money and time spent on road repairs.
The California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) is also testing recycled plastic pavement in a three-lane installation on Highway 162 near Oroville.
FULL STORY: Los Angeles applies recycled plastic asphalt on first major city street
Southern California Freeway Expansion Plans Scrapped
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San Francisco Just Ended Single-Family Zoning
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Help! Not Police! Crisis Responses That Avert Police Calls
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Grand Valley Metropolitan Council
City of Bothell
Town of San Anselmo
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
