World’s first rubber barrier certified for use on U.S. roadways as sustainable alternative to concrete.
AURORA, Colo., Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Pretred, Inc., a company that turns waste tires into recycled rubber barriers, has passed an important milestone on the path to improving the sustainability of the nation’s road infrastructure, with the official certification of its new Colorado Rubber Barrier™ for use on any road with speed limits up to 44 m.p.h.
“Every road operator in every state now has the opportunity to significantly reduce their environmental impact by replacing their carbon-intensive concrete barriers with the safe, sustainable, and cost-effective alternative of our Colorado Rubber Barrier.” – Eric Davis, Pretred CEO
The new certification means carbon-intensive concrete barriers used on hundreds of thousands of miles of U.S. roadways could be replaced by the world’s first sustainable alternative, manufactured from waste tires that would otherwise be incinerated or sent to landfill.
Since 2022, Pretred has been using proprietary processes to turn tons of waste tires into high density safety barriers, which are already used on construction sites, in parking lots, at airports, and at event venues. Pretred engineers developed the company’s new Colorado Rubber Barrier™ specifically for use on public roadways. It is named in honor of the state in which it was developed and as a counter to the traditional concrete ‘Jersey Barrier’.
“Passing the rigorous process of certification for use on public roadways is a major step forward both for the company and the environment,” said Pretred founder and CEO, Eric Davis. “Every road operator in every state now has the opportunity to significantly reduce their environmental impact by replacing their carbon-intensive concrete barriers with the safe, sustainable, and cost-effective alternative of our Colorado Rubber Barrier.”
A Waste-to-Value Solution to an Environmental Challenge:
Concrete has traditionally been used for barriers because it is easy to manufacture, extremely strong and durable. After water, it is the highest consumed product on earth. However, manufacturing concrete is an extremely carbon-intensive process; according to the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, each pound of concrete produced releases 0.93lbs of carbon dioxide (CO2).
At the same time, waste tires have become a worldwide environmental challenge, with more than 1.8 billion sent to landfill or burned every year, including 300 million in the U.S. Both the incineration of tires and their use as landfill cover is being banned, state by state, leaving millions of waste tires languishing in stockpiles throughout the country.
Pretred’s solution addresses these twin environmental challenges. An independent Environmental Impact Assessment conducted by Boundless Impact Research and Analytics shows Pretred barriers have a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Footprint of -107g of CO2 equivalent, 283% lower than conventional concrete barriers. Translated, that means one mile of barriers reduces carbon emissions by 2,750 tons. A standard 8ft Colorado Rubber Barrier™ is made using 100 waste tires and one mile of these barriers uses 65,000 (750 tons of) waste tires.
Rigorous Testing for Road User Safety:
Safety trumps every other consideration, and Pretred’s Colorado Rubber Barrier™ underwent rigorous testing to be certified for use on public roadways, showing them to be at least as safe as the commonly used alternatives.
The nationally recognized MASH (Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware) Standard Testing Method simulates the “worst practical conditions” by impacting the barrier with both a small car and a pickup truck traveling at 44 m.p.h.
The tests were carried out by Calspan, an independent provider of testing and technology development services, solutions, and systems in the aerospace, defense, and automotive industries. Calspan’s report notes that “the overall goal of a highway safety feature is to provide a forgiving roadway and roadside that reduces the risk of a serious crash when a motorist leaves the roadway, as well as towards bystander motorists and pedestrians”. Pretred’s Colorado Rubber Barriers were found to meet this goal.
A Path to More Sustainable Roadways:
Pretred CEO, Eric Davis sees the new certification as one step in a longer journey to make road networks more sustainable.
“With electrification and other initiatives, we see a lot of emphasis on reducing the environmental impact of vehicles, but much less on the roads themselves,” he said. “Our ambition is to play a major role in making the millions of miles of roads in the U.S. more sustainable.”
A Sustainable Alternative to Plastic and Concrete:
While most barriers are made from concrete, plastic barriers are also used in many circumstances and these too have a negative environmental impact.
The manufacture of a plastic barrier typically generates 6 kg of CO2 per kg of product, and the average plastic barrier weighs 45 kg. Plastic barriers are made using ‘virgin plastic’ rather than recycled materials. Furthermore, most plastic barriers require filling with about 380 liters (100 gallons) of water, to provide ballast, compounding the environmental impact.
As more cities and states ban the use of plastic products and pursue sustainable procurement policies, recycled rubber is emerging as a viable alternative.
About Pretred, Inc:
Pretred Inc. developed and manufactures the world’s first and only safety barrier made from recycled scrap tires. The venture-backed company’s ‘Colorado Rubber Barriers’ are a safe, sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional concrete or plastic barriers, and are used for construction and infrastructure projects, in parking lots, at airports, at event venues, and for multiple other purposes. For more information, visit pretred.com.
Media Contact
Jon Meakin, Coldharbour Communications, 1 9176243227, jon@coldharbourcomms.com, pretred.com
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SOURCE Pretred, Inc
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