A recently completed $17m traffic corridor in Rockaway, Queens, has used porous concrete on the pavement to improve drainage.
The Beach 108th Street project was designed to accommodate increased pedestrian and cycling traffic from the NYC Ferry landing. The project adds a two-way bike lane, wider pavements, a bus stop, car-parking spaces, storm sewers and 22 catch basins. It links Beach Channel Drive to Shore Front Parkway.
Some 11,000 sq ft of permeable concrete slabs allow for 1.3 million gallons of stormwater drainage through the concrete in a year. The use of the material will ease pressure on the sewer system, helping to reduce flooding in Jamaica Bay, an area was damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
The use of the porous material follows the implementation of the 2022 Unified Stormwater Rule, which changed requirements for sites that discharge to city sewers.
Rohit Aggarwala, NYC’s chief climate officer, said: “The Department of Environmental Protection’s stormwater regulations require new developments to manage the rain and snow that falls on them with green infrastructure, and we’ll be seeing much more of these types of projects in the coming years.”
Katie Brennan, director of the New York State Office of Resilient Homes and Communities, said: “The Beach 108th street improvements demonstrate the state’s commitment to ensuring New Yorkers are safe on their streets and more resilient to flood events. This project grew from a bottom-up, community-led planning process following Superstorm Sandy.”
