Cooler pavement coming to San Antonio streets
SAN ANTONIO - A new road surfacing method called 'cool pavement,' only currently being used in Los Angeles and Phoenix, is being piloted right here in San Antonio. It’s all part of the SA Climate Ready, Action, and Adaptation Plan to tackle climate change and promote a sustainable future for the city.
"We know that we have to start acting now. And we want to get a pilot on the ground, see how this material works and how we can expand it in the future," explained Murray Myers, the Municipal Sustainability Manager for San Antonio
Myers says they are learning a lot from what Los Angeles has been doing the past several years.
"They were looking at number a number of pilots within the city. They found that it decreased the surface temperature between nine and 12 degrees. And that if it's deployed at a large scale, they can actually decrease the ambient temperature by a couple of degrees," said Myers.
Myers says installing the cool pavement would be a fairly simple process.
"If you're installing steel coat, that's repairing some of the cracks. It's the top layer on the street. What the cool pavement is, is it's a version of that, except it includes a couple of different materials that makes it more reflective, makes it lighter in color," explained Myers
Julia Murphy, the Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer, says this is going to benefit all San Antonio residents.
"It's going to be good for everyone, but especially children, especially elderly people, especially people that work outside for a living," said Murphy.
Right now, cool pavement is installed at the east end of the Hays Street Bridge. The Office of Sustainability and Public Works is moving as quick as possible to bring this technology across the entire city.
