Low Volume Roads/Parking Areas

 Reduced impact on the travelling public due to the ability to make more rapid maintenance repairs to an interlocking concrete pavement compared to conventional asphalt or concrete;  Ability to provide traffic calming and vehicle speed reductions without the use of speed bumps or humps;  When used for “permeable” pavements, the system can substantially contribute to stormwater quantity and quality control thereby reducing pressure on other stormwater infrastructure and water quality improvement needs; and  Aesthetically pleasing due to many different shapes, sizes, laying patterns and colors (public perception of increased value compared to asphalt and concrete surfaces). As with any pavement, it is of paramount importance to ensure the highest quality of construction to achieve a long service life with minimal maintenance and rehabilitation costs. Attention to detail during the construction of an interlocking concrete pavement can ensure a service life of 30 to 50 years. A good local example of this is Main Street in North Bay, Ontario. The paver surface on Main Street was constructed in 1983 and has lasted over 37 years with minimal maintenance. In late 2020, the City issued a request for proposal to update the roadway infrastructure on Main Street and based on the preliminary plans, they will continue to use pavers. (https://icpi.org/case-studies/north-bay-case-study-2015)

Pavement Sections

The pavement surfaces in this report include interlocking concrete pavers (ICP), asphalt concrete (AC) and Portland cement concrete (PCC). Each pavement type includes a dense graded base/subbase except for ICP over concrete base which has a concrete base and dense aggregate subbase. Pavement sections used by municipal agencies in Canada are typically based on the intended use of the pavement (pedestrian, bicycle, light and heavy vehicles, etc.), subgrade type and composition (sand, silt, clay, etc.) and expected volume of traffic. The ultimate cross section may be based on a formal pavement design procedure as is typically done for pavement subjected to frequent and heavy vehicle traffic or based on experience as is typically done for sidewalks and recreational trails. Typical pavement sections specified by medium to large municipalities in Canada for each pavement type and use shown in Table 1 are presented in the following sections.

Low Volume Roads/Parking Areas

A pavement built for its appropriate traffic and environmental conditions will have a reasonable service life while providing a functional, safe platform for the traveling public. The service life of a pavement is established during the initial design considering the subgrade,

pavement layer materials and their thicknesses, the anticipated traffic using the roadway, and the budget. This service life can be somewhat variable depending on the environmental and loading conditions. The typical pavement sections for each of the pavement surfaces for low volume roads/parking areas used for the analysis are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Low Volume Roads/Parking Areas Pavement Type and Layers.

Figure 1a. Interlocking Concrete Pavers on Aggregate Base/Subbase.

Figure 1b. Interlocking Concrete Pavers on Concrete Base.

Figure 1c. Asphalt Concrete on Aggregate Base/Subbase.