Snow and Ice Control on Porous and Permeable Pavements: Literature Review and State of the Practice

Porous and permeable pavements (PPPs) have been successfully used by multiple transportation agencies in several countries and domestically as a wearing surface to help reduce water splash and spray, increase friction, reduce potential for hydroplaning, and reduce noise. Despite their inherent advantages, when used in colder climates PPPs tend to freeze more rapidly, transport deicing chemicals from the road surface, clog from sands and other debris, and retain snow and ice for a longer period of time than traditional dense graded pavements (DGPs). Porosity and texture tend to be the leading material properties of PPPs that affect their behavior in winter conditions and have been noted to be the primary causes of differences between PPPs and DGPs in winter conditions. Infiltration of water and deicing chemicals through the pores and pumping of water and salts to the surface from traffic are a direct result of the porosity of PPPs. The use of sand as a friction enhancement is not recommended because they tend to clog the pores and create additional and costly maintenance to restore the desired porosity of the pavement. The behavior of PPPs at lower temperatures is different than traditional DGPs because of the different thermodynamic properties associated with the pore space in these mixes. The coarser surface texture of PPPs can provide temporary storage of ice and snow on the surface during a storm, and if frozen, ice and snow become integrally keyed to the pavement surface making it more difficult to remove these deposits. PPPs have a longer history in Europe, and domestic sources of information on these types of pavements as they relate to winter maintenance is scarce and often times conflicting. A more comprehensive and successful approach to the effective and economical winter maintenance of PPPs in the U.S. is needed. Future research associated with this project will address this need through interviews of domestic and international winter maintenance personnel that have experience maintaining PPPs and a controlled laboratory evaluation to determine the mechanical and chemical interaction between deicers and porous pavements.