A statewide program to educate local decision makers about the impacts of land use choices on water quality
Material likened to icing on the cake
The Rocky Mountain Asphalt Education Center (RMAEC) recently hosted a porous asphalt pavement seminar, which was attended by 27 contractors, design engineers, regulators and others interested in learning more about paving technology. The seminar, which was held Nov. 13, 2007, in Centennial, Colo., featured Thomas Cahill, president of Cahill Associates, and Kent Hansen, director of engineering at the National Asphalt Pavement Association.
Cahill discussed the water quality benefits of porous asphalt paving. He emphasized the need for proper design, installation and maintenance when using the product. He noted that he is familiar with about 200 projects that have successfully used porous asphalt pavement in all parts of the country, including those with harsh weather conditions.
He also dispelled common misconceptions about the product. For example, freeze and thaw cycles have not been shown to damage properly designed and installed porous asphalt paving systems. And women wearing high heels won’t get caught in holes on the pavement surface.
Cahill also discussed the critical importance of understanding and measuring subsurface soil conditions to determine how rapidly water can be infiltrated. In fact, he stated that “porous pavement is the icing on the cake of a stormwater infiltration system.”
Hansen spoke to the group about key properties of porous asphalt paving that lead to durability, permeability and overall performance. Developing the appropriate specifications for porous asphalt materials is critical to their success as part of stormwater infiltration systems, he said.
Tom Clayton, director of training and member services for RMAEC, concluded the seminar by offering his organization as a resource for anyone interested in using porous asphalt pavement. He can be reached at 303 -741-6148 or tomclayton@co-asphalt.com.
For more information about porous asphalt pavement logon www.thcahill.com/pasphalt.html or www.hotmix.org/view_article.php?ID=533.