What appears to be a red brick crosswalk is really ordinary asphalt that has been textured, colored and coated to withstand traffic, precipitation and high temperatures.
Installed locally by Jerry Arthur Paving Co. of Bedford, the technique was developed nine years ago by StreetPrint Pavement Texturing, an international firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The StreetPrint concept was born when a Vancouver contractor accidentally dropped a wrench into freshly spread asphalt and rolled over it, according to Steve Beavers, the firms area manager.
"The next day, he spotted the wrench and removed it from the asphalt. It left an impression, and that gave him an idea," Beavers said.
In place of a wrench, StreetPrint now presses templates made of three-eights inch wire into soft asphalt. Wire grid designs include herringbone, cobblestone and offset brick.
The "printing" process is simple.
After the asphalt is heated to 140 degrees, a 1,000-pound plate compactor is used to press the wire mesh into the softened surface. Its removal leaves a pattern that is coated and colored with acrylic polymer resins containing aggregates and pigments specially formulated to adhere to asphalt surfaces.
"We'll put at least four coatings on the crosswalk at Seventh and Walnut to guarantee a colored, textured surface that will not fade." Beavers said as the work went forward Wednesday.
Taxpayers aren't paying a dime for the innovative crosswalk, according to public works director John Freeman.
"We've heard about the work Arthur Paving had done in Bedford and expressed an interest," he said. "They offered to install the crosswalk free as a demonstation."
If the crosswalk is as durable as promised, Freeman says StreetPrint pavement texturing may be used elsewhere in the city.
"It only takes one day to install a StreetPrint crosswalk," he said, "and if we have to cut into the pavement later, the design and color can be reprinted to match the original."
StreetPrint textured asphalt is less than half the cost of brick, takes a third less time to install, has no trip hazard, is Americans with Disabilities Act compliant and approved by the state transportation department, and is already being used in nearly every state and 40 foreign countries.
The technique is explained on the Internet at www.streetprint.com.
 |
 |
 |
 |