09 Sep Advantages of Porous Pavement vs Concrete or Asphalt
Porous pavement is a permeable surface composed of open-pore pavers, concrete, or asphalt, stone, and glue. Permeable pavement catches rain water and surface runoff, allowing it to slowly percolate into the soil below. The most common uses of permeable pavement are parking lots, low-traffic roads, sidewalks, and driveways.
The advantage of using Porous Pavement (Porous Asphalt or Porous Concrete) is that your typical concrete will not allow rainwater to pass through the surface. This creates problems at parks and walkways on hills because the water floods into sewers and storm drain creating stoppages and flooding.
By choosing to work with this porous surface, you insert more water into the soil, trees, grass, and plants nearby.
Porous Pavement also directly benefits trees because it acts as a protection layer for their roots. The surface is not dense or rigid as asphalt and creates and the cushioned barrier between people and animals walking over the roots. The roots of a tree maintain the structural integrity of a tree and when they are protected, the tree has a better likelihood of survival.
Since water and precipitation seep through the pavement, there won’t be any ice formation on the porous pavement. Even in freezing temperatures, the pavement will remain warm and proves to be a safe surface for driving and walking.
Lastly, it can be made using recycled materials helping to create less waste in landfills and promoting cleaner practices across cities.