Permeable pavement in northern North American urban areas: research review and knowledge gaps

TLDR

Permeable pavement has largely been deployed in low‑speed parking lots, but advances in mix design, hydrology, water quality, and maintenance leave many questions unresolved for high‑speed urban roads and highways. This review synthesises recent progress in these areas and delineates key research gaps. The authors categorize research needs into four themes—structural and material properties, hydrologic performance, water quality, and maintenance—and rank them by immediate, short‑term, and long‑term impact.

Abstract

A majority of existing permeable pavement installations are related to parking lots and commercial areas with low speeds and light traffic loads. During the past two decades, a tremendous amount of progress has been made with regard to the application of permeable pavements regarding mix design, hydrologic design, water quality assessment and maintenance requirements. Review of the literature revealed, however, that there are still many important questions that must be answered before permeable pavements can be fully integrated in urban roads, especially in highways with high speeds and loads. This paper summarises the major research progress in the above listed areas and identifies research needs. Research needs are summarised under four topics: (1) structural and materials property, (2) hydrologic performance, (3) water quality and (4) maintenance. Research needs are further organised based on their immediate, short-term and long-term impact.