Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter | [email protected]
A section of the asphalt in the alley behind the old fire station has been torn up, a blanket of well-placed bricks set in its place.
Those bricks will form a new pervious pavement being tested out by the municipality.
They call it 鈥渢he green alley.鈥�
鈥淗opefully, this will help catch some of the stormwater, so it doesn't run down and cause further erosion,鈥� said John Greathead, director of operations.
鈥淢y biggest push on it is to help with dust control in the summer, and it will help us reduce our chemical usage. That's the overall goal.鈥�
The trial area is a 100-metre stretch in the alley between the 400 block of Patricia and Geikie streets.
The interlocking bricks form a ground grid that will then be seeded with grass. Greathead has his fingers crossed that the seed will take, despite the low humidity and other ecological challenges in the Jasper valley.
鈥淲e're stripping out about a foot of the existing material. We鈥檝e got the proper blend of sand, soil, gravel and topsoil to make sure that it should grow grass pretty decently.鈥澛�
Once completed by next week, the green alley will have a year before the municipality evaluates it based on a few criteria. Asphalt and concrete are high cost maintenance items on any local government鈥檚 budget.
The new surface should help reduce puddling and formation of potholes.
According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, pervious pavement 鈥渆ffectively treats, detains, and infiltrates stormwater runoff where landscape-based strategies are restricted or less desired.鈥�
There鈥檚 no financial accounting method, however, that compares and contrasts the aesthetic value of asphalt to the new bricks and grass.
Greathead said that if it is successful then the municipality will likely expand the project with other green alley locations.
