Warrenville, Ill. Tries Permeable Pavers

Some parking lots in the Chicago area are using permeable pavers and landscaping to handle runoff, such as here at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle. The permeable pavers in Warrenville, Ill., however, will be installed on busy Warrenville Road.

The city council of Warrenville, Ill., a Chicago suburb, has approved installing a mile-long stretch of permeable pavers along a busy road to infiltrate runoff. The permeable pavers will drain into a 20-in. gravel base, then into the soil, as opposed to the traditional asphalt roadway that is crowned to let water run off into gutters. Warrenville Public Works Director Mike Smith notes the initial costs for going with permeable pavers will be 15 percent higher than traditional surfacing, but thinks the city will benefit from the life expectancy of the pavers (50-70 years), compared to 45 years for a good asphalt road, plus the necessity to resurface every 12-15 years and do routine sealing. To maintain the permeable pavers, a street sweeper, part vacuum, part cleaner, will be employed. The city says it is among the first in the Chicago environs to install permeable pavers. The $4.5-million reconstruction of Warrenville Road began this spring and will require some 186,000 L-shaped pavers.