Permeable asphalt better for the environment, more durable
Rasmi Gamble / Reporter
Elon made some changes over the summer. New raised crosswalks
along Haggard Avenue and new intramural fields are just a
few.
The East Campus parking lot, across from Elon Elementary
School, underwent one of the most interesting and significant
change.
Elon has installed a new type of asphalt, called permeable
pavement. This type of surface is different from normal
parking surface; it is more environmentally friendly and
allows moisture and nutrients to seep back into the
environment.
“The difference is that a normal surface is super
smooth,” said Neil Bromilow, director of construction
management at Elon University. “Every drop of rain is
headed for the gutter.”
Permeable surfaces do not have gutters, they have French
drains. This allows rain to disappear and percolate into the
soil, ultimately helping plants and trees grow. When it
rains, the precipitation travels down the sloped hillside.
The water is never trapped as it is on normal asphalt with
drains.
The cost of permeable surfacing is not significantly more
than regular pavement, Bromilow said. Wear and tear on such
surfaces depends on the climate and weather. “Our soil
is very clay-like; water traps under the pavement,”
Bromilow said.
Areas that receive a lot of rain, and lesser snow in the
winter are good places for permeable-surface asphalt. It is
less successful in regions that receive a lot of snow and ice
during the winter months. The asphalt would crack, similar to
normal pavement, and would have to be replaced. The pavement
used for permeable surfacing, is actually of a rougher, less
dense quality than normal asphalt.
Permeable parking lots aren’t common in Alamance
County, but other neighboring counties are using the
experimental asphalt. UNC-Chapel Hill has a permeable surface
for one of its parking lots.
If this surface proves to be as environmentally friendly and
durable as it’s supposed to be, permeable surfaces
could become a permanent fixture around Elon University and
Alamance County very soon.
Contact Rasmi Gamble at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247.
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