The innovative design allows rainwater to be channeled back to the park's many geysers, hot springs, and steam vents

 

A bison standing on the 142-mile-long main loop at Yellowstone National Park.

 

Of the roughly 4 million visitors that come to Yellowstone National Park annually, many are drawn to the park’s famous geysers, hot springs, and steam vents. Every few minutes, in various corners of the 3,468-square-mile park, these natural wonders project an immense amount of water into the air. Over time, the condensation turns into precipitation, sending the water back down over the park. When the rain falls, it often accumulates upon the park’s roadways—including Yellowstone’s 142-mile Grand Loop—and runs off into rivers and streams instead of replenishing the aquifers from which much of the water originally came. 

 

Michelin has partnered with Yellowstone National Park to help this problem in the most innovative of ways—using recycled tires to build new roads.

 

 

 

The French tire manufacturer has recently created a 4,000-square-foot walkway built with Flexi-Pave, an asphalt replacement made of recycled tires. With its porous surface, the design allows rainwater to fall through the road, into the earth and its natural aquifers. Eventually the rainwater finds its way back to its original source. Furthermore, the newly rolled-out concept also allows Michelin to find an eco-friendly way to dispose of used tires. 

 

 

Old Faithful, Yellowstone's most famous geyser.