Tire Bales as Road Fill Technical Bulletin - Center for Dirt and ...

Informational
Bulletin
Tire Bales as Road Fill
Version 1 08.30.06
BACKGROUND – Waste tires can function as source of fill material to raise the road profile to correct
drainage problems and curb sediment pollution caused by severely entrenched roads. The use of tires
as sub-base is consistent with sound environmental maintenance. Plus, this innovative use of tire bales
helps to reduce the state’s growing volume of waste tires. Waste tires are readily available, provide a
sturdy sub-base, and allow natural drainage processes to occur. Different roads require different forms
of fill, and waste tires can be processed in several ways in order to meet these different needs.
Shredded tires can be used to raise comparatively shallow road beds, while severely entrenched roads
require a greater amount of fill. Tire bales, 2.5x4.5x5’ rectangular cubes of whole compacted tires,
provide a cost effective alternative to shreds where a considerable amount of fill is needed to raise
driving surface to an elevation higher than the surrounding terrain.
picture
figure
A tire bale consists of approx. 100
tires, measures 2.5x4.5x5’ and
weighs approx. one ton.
Tire bales are placed across the bed of Diehl
Road, Madison Township, Columbia County.
PURPOSE – A severely entrenched road, often referred to as “sunken,” is a section of road where the
road surface is lower than the surrounding terrain. Roads become entrenched over time as a result of
traffic wear and tear, erosion, and routine maintenance activities of grading and snowplowing. During
rain events an entrenched road functions like a stream channel, accepting precipitation, concentrating
drainage from surrounding land areas and receiving stormwater from driveways, farm lanes, and other
intersecting “tributaries.” This funneling causes the water to gain volume and velocity, become “hungry”
and aggressively consume erodible surface material and soil in the ditches and banks along its path.
Often, the most cost-effective solution to stop the continuing cycle of costly erosion and harmful
pollution caused by severe road entrenchment is to fill the void space by “raising the road profile.”
Waste tires are a suitable, low cost material to use as road fill to raise the road surface to an elevation
higher than the surrounding terrain so that natural drainage patterns are restored.
BENEFITS OF TIRE BALES– For severely entrenched roads (I.e., exceeding 3-4 feet below
surrounding terrain), tire bales can be an ideal source of road fill. Tire bales have many positive physical
characteristics for use as road base:
In rectangular form, bales can be processed, stored, transported and placed with simple machinery;
Tire bales are permeable and well insulated, allow free drainage and resist frost heave;
Lightweight and sturdy, bales are highly resistant to compressive force and shear stress; and
Tire bales are non-toxic to groundwater quality.
The publishers of this publication gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the PA State Conservation
Commission. For additional information or assistance, contact: Center for Dirt & Gravel Roads Studies, Penn State
University, 207 Research Unit D, University Park, PA 16802 (Toll-Free Phone: 1-866-668-6683, Fax: 814-863-
6787, Email: dirtandgravel@psu.edu). Additional copies available on our website at: www.dirtandgravelroads.org.
All Rights Reserved

WHERE TO USE – Tire bales are ideal for roads:
▪ Deeply entrenched causing drainage problems and
snowplowing difficulties;
In reasonable proximity to waste tire source (tire pile).
RAISING THE ROAD PROFILE WITH TIRE
BALES AS SUB-BASE
BEFORE
CONSIDERATIONS – Waste tires pose dangerous
health and environmental risks when collected in
large piles that provide a breeding ground for West
Nile Virus -carrying mosquitoes and threaten
catastrophic tire fires. Tire bales as road fill present
a beneficial end use by eliminating these threats.
TIRE BALE ROADS IN PENNSYLVANIA –
Pennsylvania’s first “tire bale road” has recently
been completed in Jerseytown, Columbia County.
This demonstration involved a nearly mile-long
stretch of the Diehl Road and incorporated nearly
210,000 waste tires from nearby Starr Tire Pile,
home to Pennsylvania’s largest waste tire pile with
an estimated 6-8 million tires. Funds for the
project were granted through PA-DEP’s Starr
Waste Tire Reuse Grant Program, established to
eliminate the pile through application of innovative,
efficient, and beneficial waste tire uses. The
program funds projects that create new
products/uses from waste tires and encourages
new technology, innovation, and the creation of
new markets and economic opportunities in local
communities.
DURING
Photo 1
text on pic,
arial 10 bold –
white or black
Photo 2
picture
CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE
Identify and shape severely entrenched
sections as necessary to establish slightly
sloped sub-base to allow drainage to low side.
Set tire bales across the roadbed.
Backfill void spaces in tire bales with fine
grain, well-draining material such as sand or
bottom ash (used at the Diehl Road site) and
spread over the entire tire bale sections.
Apply three (3) distinct 6-inch lifts of shale cap
and compact between each layer. Shape
sub-base to form adequate road crown or
slope (1/2 to 3/4 inch rise per horizontal foot).
Apply 8-inches Driving Surface Aggregate
(DSA) through paving machine and compact
to 6-inches with vibratory roller per DSA
placement specification. DSA is abrasion
resistant stone mixture choked with fines and
placed at optimum moisture to maximize
compaction for a durable driving surface.
AFTER
Above: Photo sequence of tire bale section along
Diehl Road demonstration site. Compare roadbed to
surrounding vegetation and notice how the road
profile has been significantly raised.
This publication is available in alternative media upon request. The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons
shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability,
performance, or qualification as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. The Pennsylvania State University does
not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual
orientation, or veteran status. Direct all affirmative action inquiries to the Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 201
Willard Building, University Park, PA 16802-2801; tel. (814) 863-0471; TDD (814) 865-3175. U.Ed #RES-01-50.