Use of tire bales for erosion control projects in New Mexico

The use of tire bales in civil engineering and transportation projects is receiving growing attention because of its potential to safely and economically dispose a large number of scrap tires. In recent years, tire bales have been successfully used as fill material in several erosion control and bank reconstruction projects in New Mexico. This paper describes two tire bale projects conceived and constructed by technical support engineers and maintenance crews of District 1 of the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT). In these projects, 160 to 610 tire bales (approximately 16,000 to 61,000 scrap tires) were used. The materials and construction details adopted in these projects and the standard practice resulting from the experience of NMDOT District 1 personnel are described. Some construction considerations in these projects include anchoring the bales to the ground, wrapping the layers of bales with gabion wire, and backfilling.