Waste tyres are among the largest and most problematic sources of waste today, due to the large volume produced and their long-lasting decomposition and resistance to water and extreme temperatures. Since 2000 in Europe the EU Landfill Directive has forbidden the disposal of waste tyres in a landfill. Since then waste tyre derived products (TDP), including whole tyres, tyre bales, shreds, chips, and crumb rubber, have been widely used also in civil engineering applications. The baling is nowadays the best way for the product recycling of waste tyres. Waste tyre bales have considerable potential for use in road applications, particularly where their low density, permeability and ease of handling give them an advantage. Road applications include but are not limited to: embankments construction, slope stabilization and repair (landslides), road foundations over soft ground, backfill material for retaining walls and gravity retaining structures (gabion-type). Several case studies, showing the opportunities to use waste tyre bales in road construction, are presented and illustrated in the paper preceded by providing the engineering properties of waste tyre bales, used within the road structures constructed worldwide. The article also describes the first world application of abutment backfill from the tyre bales in a road bridge, realized in Poland.