For the week of April 24 - 30, 2002

Recycled glass used in Highway 75 expansion

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

Highway 75 motorists will soon begin driving over glass bottles they may have thrown in the recycle bin last year.

An idea conceived by Sen. Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, came to fruition Monday, Earth Day, when the Idaho Transportation Department used 250 tons of crushed glass to build part of the roadbed for south-bound Highway 75 lanes near the intersection of East Fork Road.

Recycled glass from the Resource Recovery Center at the Ohio Gulch transfer station was used Monday, Earth Day, to fill in the Highway 75 expansion project. "It is critical that, not only in highway projects but in all aspects of our lives and businesses, we look to reuse and recycle our critical resources," Sen. Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, said. Express photo by Willy Cook

The glass, which came from the Resource Recovery Center at the Ohio Gulch transfer station, was used in lieu of gravel and stones, the more traditional materials used in highway construction.

"This is ideal for us," said Southern Idaho Solid Waste Director Terry Schultz. "It’s an ideal application of the crushed glass."

Recycled glass is typically used to fill voids in the landfill, Schultz said.

Transportation Department District Engineer Devin Rigby said, to the best of his knowledge, this is the third time the department has used crushed glass as part of road construction. The glass is effective, because it drains and compacts well.

"You just need something that doesn’t absorb moisture, something you can get compact, and you put your surface on top of that," he said.

Stennett proposed that the Transportation Department use crushed glass in the Highway 75 expansion project about a year ago.

"This project is an excellent example of Idahoans, business and government working together to use our resources in the best possible way," Stennett said. "It is critical that not only in highway projects, but in all aspects of our lives and businesses we look to reuse and recycle our critical resources."

Highway expansion in the mid-valley is expected to be complete this fall.

 

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