Strategic use of porous pavement along seven miles in Brooklyn will allow storm water to drain into the ground, rather than flood city sewer systems. The $32 million dollar project is scheduled for completion next year. As green infrastructure efforts continue, New York City has big plans for further use of porous pavement and other tactics.
Green Infrastructure
Heavy rains and floods across the country are compelling cities to be ever more strategic about stormwater. As leadership at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) explains: “Climate change is bringing with it rainstorms that can overwhelm our sewers and cause flooding across the five boroughs, which is why we are investing in tools that will divert rainwater away from the sewer system, such as porous pavement….Brooklyn got hit particularly hard by Tropical Storm Ophelia last September and this new porous pavement will help to ease pressure on the sewer system and protect residents during future storms.”
Throughout New York City, several different tactics are in play in an ambitious green infrastructure effort:
Across the five boroughs, the roughly 7,500 miles of sewers and 150,000 catch basins remain the backbone of the city’s drainage system. However, over the last decade DEP has built the nation’s largest Green Infrastructure Program. Green Infrastructure intercepts stormwater before it can drain into the sewers, thereby…helping to prevent, or reduce, flooding, backups and overflows. Green Infrastructure includes porous pavement, curbside rain gardens, permeable pavers, green or blue roofs, and underground storage. To date DEP has built more than 13,000 Green Infrastructure installations…
“We are delighted to…bring seven miles of porous pavement to Brooklyn, and soon to other boroughs,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner….“…This is the biggest porous pavement installation this City has seen and it will prevent millions of gallons of stormwater from overwhelming the sewer system annually….It will also save time and money, since porous pavement installations can prevent flooding without the need of going underground and expanding sewers.”
Porous Pavement?
As the name implies, porous pavement differs from traditional asphalt in that stormwater can flow into the ground and be naturally absorbed, preventing overflows.
The seven mile project in Brooklyn is the first large scale use of porous pavement in New York City, following several years of pilot testing:
Porous pavement is installed along the curb line of a street, where the stormwater typically drains towards a catch basin on the corner, and can withstand the weight of motor vehicles, including trucks….Porous pavement cannot be installed on every block due to other conflicts in the streets and sidewalks, such as sewer and water mains, and private infrastructure.
Prior to any construction, soil samples are taken from beneath the roadways that are under consideration to determine if the soil will absorb stormwater. Once a roadway is approved for construction, the work includes removal of the existing roadway along the curb line to a depth of roughly 24 inches. Drainage cells and stone are added to aid in storage and drainage of the stormwater, as well as to provide structural support for the porous concrete slabs that are laid on top.
Projects and contracts are in planning to bring porous pavement strategically to areas of Queens and the Bronx soon, but builders all across the country can expect to stay busy too, as public builds addressing sustainability in the face of climate change continue to get off the ground in every region. Consider for example the recent allocation of $1 billion for 656 FEMA projects Given that many of our surface transportation systems are not up to challenges from floods, rising sea levels and heat waves, eighty projects to make “transportation systems more resilient to extreme weather” have also been targeted to receive a total of $830 million from The Department of Transportation. The funds are unique in that they are the “first of their kind dedicated to transportation infrastructure resilience.”
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