House Committee Passes Multiyear Transportation Bill with Permeable Pavers Provisions

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has passed the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act, the House version of a massive multiyear transportation bill. The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) has been working closely with the committee to include provisions in the bill that would take advantage of pavers’ unique drainage properties to benefit highway and mass transit construction.

The provisions will authorize the transportation secretary to pursue broad research and technology transfer activities to promote the adoption of permeable pavements for transportation applications throughout the U.S. The ICPI-backed provisions are the first of their kind to include permeable pavements in federal transportation policy, and include key terms such as “storm water” and “permeable.”

With growing recognition and support in federal policy, permeable interlocking concrete pavement (PICP) is growing in importance as a key paving component in construction design plans. “PICP can help state and local governments, and state highway officials, meet their growing requirements to use pavements that minimize storm water runoff pollution in the U.S. transportation system,” said Roberto Nicolia, ICPI board chairman.

“Concrete pavers are perfect for federal government policy. Green construction, greenscapes, reducing storm water runoff and flooding, improving water quality and reducing water pollution – these are all top priorities for every builder in the country,” said Charles McGrath, ICPI executive director.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has listed installation of PICP as a best management practice for reducing storm water runoff. EPA and ICPI are working cooperatively to provide municipalities with access to technical data that helps them adopt permeable interlocking concrete pavement systems more easily.

Source: PRWeb