Reducing Deicing Salt Use
Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) systems perform very well in cold weather conditions. A recent study by the US Geological Survey in 2021 studied temperature profiles over a seven year period from different permeable pavement systems.
Data showed that all types of permeable pavement developed favorable conditions to allow surface infiltration during winter rain and melting events with subsurface temperatures remaining above freezing, even when air temperatures were well below freezing. However, PICP was shown to be less susceptible to the effects of freezing air temperatures compared to both pervious concrete (PC) and porous asphalt (PA).
The nature of PICP surface voids as well as the thermal mass of pavers may help insulate the aggregate reservoirs from surface temperature fluctuations much better than PC or PA.
A University of Toronto study in 2020 compared deicing operations impact on PICP compared to impervious asphalt surfaces. This research studied the winter safety benefits of permeable pavement and the use of deicing road salts that potentially harming waterways and biological systems.
The researchers found that PICP can attenuate and buffer the release of salt to the environment, and that PICP surfaces can be treated with lower application rates of road salts. The study confirmed the general view that PICP eliminates the potential black ice formation from standing water re-freezing.
Rather than use de-icing salts or sand, an alternative is to use the same ASTM #8 or #9 chip as used in the paver joints. Because permeable pavers are made with high quality concrete, snow can be plowed or shoveled without the need for special blades or equipment.
Sources: Danz, et. Al, Subsurface Temperature Properties for Three Types of Permeable Pavements in Cold Weather Climates and Implications for Deicer Reduction, 2021, US Geological Survey. | Drake, et. Al, De-Icing Operations for Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements, 2020,University of Toronto.
