Antioch University New England (AUNE) is replacing the rest of the walkways to its main entrance with pervious pavement, which is better for the environment than conventional asphalt. The installation follows a demonstration project last summer in which the first two walkways were replaced.
The demonstration pavement has performed well. “The water doesn’t collect on it; it goes right through the pavement so you don’t get puddling,” said Paul “Doc” Whicker, director of facilities at AUNE. “And in the winter, it hasn’t heaved like asphalt.” The walkways should be ready to walk on by September 1, he said.
Pervious, or permeable, pavement is a system for managing stormwater. Rain and snowmelt seep down through the porous pavement into a stone base, then percolate into the soil underneath. Less stormwater runs off to pollute nearby surface waters, unlike with conventional pavement, an impervious substance that sheds water.
Research from the University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center has shown that pervious pavement can eliminate ponding and reduce the need for de-icing products by as much as seventy percent.
