Your Town Alabama: Designing Our Future

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Green Streets Continued

Green streets are narrower to eliminate unnecessary pavement. The porous asphalt soaks in the rain, where it drains to the soil below. Large swaths of land -- called bioswales -- next to the roads will be planted with grasses, bushes and mosses that absorb water and filter contaminants, such as oil that leaks from cars.
"It's not only very attractive landscaping, they are also functioning," Myers said.
It's the first large-scale use of permeable asphalt in Salem, said Mark Becktel, the city's transportation services manager.
The 5,400 feet of green streets and 2,300 feet of green alleys are all private -- the city will not permit these materials for public roadways because the materials are relatively new.
"We've made it pretty clear that we are willing to see how these things work," Becktel said. "We aren't opposed to the green street concept, but we want to protect any public investment in streets."
The state permits about 50 projects per year that involve porous materials, which typically are used for undertakings that have lighter loads such as sidewalks or parking lots. It also permits about 1,000 bioswale projects per year.
The fact that these projects aren't mainstream is part of the point for people involved in the Pringle Creek Community. They hope others use these unique ideas for other developments.

"Pringle Creek is the state-of-the-art example of what residential people can do with water before it leaves their yards and goes into the streets, creeks and ocean," said Sally Miller, who plans to live in Pringle Creek Community. "All of the things that Pringle Creek is doing costs society a lot less money because there are no pollutants in the creek, so the fish are safer to eat. ... If we all did that as a society, we would all be more healthy."