Rubber sidewalks help reduce damage to tree roots in Calgary

Small stretches of rubber sidewalks have been popping up in Calgary, serving an important role in keeping the city’s infrastructure intact.

For decades, city engineers struggled with mature tree roots cracking and lifting sidewalks, creating uneven steps and hazards for those who walk on them.

The city traditionally turned to asphalt in those situations.

“The hot asphalt is quite hot and can damage the tree root, so we found we’d end up with some root burn and potentially damage the tree,” Chris Oshust, the senior leader of concrete with the City of Calgary, said.

A pilot project launched in 2018 has proven to be a successful solution. Instead of asphalt, a rubber solution is poured over the roots, allowing it to move and stretch as the tree roots grow.

“The advantage is that it’s a safe way to maintain the sidewalk so we get rid of dangerous trip edges and maintain the health of the tree so we can keep supporting the healthy canopy,” Oshust said.

The sidewalk is 30 per cent cheaper than the alternatives and has now been used in about 30 spots across the city.

“Wear and tear has been really good. We haven’t found much damage or default to it and we’ve found most people really enjoy having it,” Oshust.

With the program’s promising results, more of the rubber sidewalks are expected to appear around the city.

“It’s a very good product. So it’s recyclable, it’s made from rubber from Alberta, and in the end, it will go back and be recycled,” Oshust said.