AMES, Iowa -- A sidewalk project means there may be a little bounce to the beer kegs instead of dings in the pavement when delivery trucks unload.

The city is installing a rubber sidewalk at a spot near the Iowa State University campus where beer distributors unload hundreds of kegs from trucks for bars in the area.

All those heavy kegs hitting the ground have been cracking the concrete pavement.

So now city officials have decided to install sidewalk pavers that a California company makes using shredded recycled tires instead of concrete.

The city tested the product. "The streets supervisor took a sledge hammer to it," said Corey Mellies, a civil engineer for the city. It didn't even dent.

The project also has an environmental plus - the sidewalk is using up about 675 tires that otherwise would end up in a landfill.

Save the sidewalks and save the beer. How about installing rubber sidewalks all over so when people fall they won't really get hurt? And, there won't be cracks in the rubber sidewalks to trip over. There won't be cracks in them, will there?

Rubber sidewalks, now I have heard them all. Can the council not just get the people who deliver the beer to be more gentle with the barrels.

I don't think this is a bad idea. Recycling the tires instead of having them in the landfill, saving on replacing the cement and the hourly wage of the city crew to do it, what is bad about this? They make tracks out of rubber to save runners legs why not do this more often?

I knid of like this idea. They have something similar in playgrounds now so the kids don`t get hurt so bad.

Well, that's a creative one. Bounce, bounce, bounce instead of cracks in the sidewalk. Depending on how this one holds on, we might see more of this in the future.

Wow...what a cool idea! No more "curbies"!!! I think it's really a neat idea, not just for where they unload beer kegs, but everywhere!