Schaefer says there has been a great deal of skepticism about pervious concrete pavement overlays. The applications started out being used in parking lots. “People said it wouldn’t work on highways, but we proved it could be used on highway applications – and work,” Schaefer says. “There is still some concern about how it will hold up against truck traffic, but it is subjected to truck traffic in the current test applications and it suffers some of the damage of any overlay. The big breakthrough was the successful use of wet-on-dry applications, and it is working beyond our dreams.” v

For a downloadable PDF of An Integrated Study of Pervious Concrete Mixture Design for Wearing Course Applications, go to http://www.rmc-foundation.org/images/PvC%20Wearing%20Course%20Apps%20Final%20Report%2010-11.pdf.

PLUS: For a look at how a concrete overlay came to the rescue of an aging, secondary, farm-to-market road in Iowa, go to our digital edition at betterroads.com