Trends in the Application of Permeable Pavement as Sustainable Highway Storm Water Management Option for Safe-Use of Roadways

Abstract

Accumulation of storm water on road surfaces and the associated runoff result in environmental pollution problems, negative impact on durability of pavement and safety problems for the travelling public. Permeable pavement has been used to reduce imperviousness of paved surfaces and storm water runoff due to the presence of pores through which water passes into underneath layer of the pavement where the water is collected for treatment prior to discharge into the environment. As a result, permeable pavement is seen as an environmentally sustainable system. Although permeable pavement was initially developed for foot and bicycle traffic, because of sustainability benefits it provides, there is growing interest in advancing the use of permeable pavement in highway storm water management. This article presents trends in the application of permeable pavement in highway storm water management and some associated highway safety benefits.