Drivers across the U.S. could soon be seeing rubber safety barriers made of recycled tires on roads instead of concrete or plastic ones.
Pretred says its Colorado Rubber Barrier is "the world's first rubber barrier for use on U.S. roadways as a suitable alternative to concrete."
The barrier is specifically designed for use on public roadways and has been certified for use on roads with speed limits up to 44 mph. The barrier is named after its state of origin and as a counterpart to the traditional concrete “Jersey” barriers.
The Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware Standard Testing Method was applied to the Colorado Rubber Barrier by independent test provider Calspan. This involved simulating “worst practical conditions” and impacting the barrier with a small car and a pickup truck at 44 mph.
Calspan, which provides testing and tech development services in the automotive industry, found the Colorado Rubber Barrier met the safety goal of providing “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.”
The company began using unique methods to convert old tires into high-density safety barriers in 2022, with 95% of each barrier containing recycled rubber. Manufacturing an 8-foot Colorado Rubber Barrier uses 100 tires, meaning a mile’s worth of barriers uses 65,000 tires. Over 1.8 billion tires end up in landfills or are burned each year, of which 300 million are in the U.S.
Pretred says the barrier, in addition to its environmental benefits, increases safety by absorbing energy, reducing potential damage to vehicles and being easy to move. Airport and data center construction projects are also listed as good applications for Pretred rubber barriers.
The company was recently awarded an $11.2 million grant from the Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise to expand its operations to produce crumb rubber out of waste tires. The state-funded enterprise estimates the grant will lead to 4 million waste tires from across Colorado being converted to 30,000 barriers a year.
