Q&A
Discussion on cool pavement pilot project for heat reduction
1:11:15
ยท
3 min
Council Member Sandy Nurse and DOT First Deputy Commissioner Margaret Forgione engage in a discussion about the proposed cool pavement pilot project. Nurse seeks clarification on DOT's research and takeaways from conversations with other municipalities regarding heat reduction strategies.
- Forgione mentions ongoing projects like porous pavement installation but acknowledges the need for further discussion on heat-specific initiatives.
- DOT expresses support for heat reduction efforts but raises concerns about potential impacts on pavement longevity and neighboring buildings.
- Nurse clarifies that the treatment can be applied during regular repaving and may extend asphalt life, emphasizing the pilot's purpose to study these effects.
- DOT agrees to further discussions on implementing the pilot project.
Sandy Nurse
1:11:15
Thank you, chair.
1:11:19
So I, because I was late, I got a chance to read your testimony before, I did mine.
1:11:24
But you mentioned a lot around storm water management as part of your kind of resiliency work, which is really important and and and great.
1:11:34
However, the the bill is really primarily focused on heat reduction.
1:11:38
And you've mentioned that you had conversations with other municipalities and looked at the feasibility of it, and was wondering if you could share on the record, some of your takeaways.
1:11:48
This is the second time this bill was heard, and I went back to the transcript from last year, and I I realized that actually the person from DOT who testified, was thinking of the cool corridor instead of cool payment.
1:12:02
So we actually haven't really been able like, haven't really, had a public conversation about it.
1:12:07
So just to get on the record some of your takeaways from past conversations.
Margaret Forgione
1:12:13
Okay.
1:12:13
And what I would suggest, council member, is that we get together with our more technical team who can best get into all of the details of that with you.
1:12:22
But, you know, we very much support reducing the heat and and having our agency do whatever our part can possibly be in that area.
1:12:30
So as I mentioned, we are working with DEP.
1:12:33
92 miles of porous pavement panels are being installed in various neighborhoods within the city right now.
1:12:39
We're working with DEP and sanitation.
1:12:41
It's a multi agency effort to figure out how they will remain clean because they have to be able to absorb, how they will be tested to make sure they're working.
Sandy Nurse
1:12:49
Which ones are related to heat reduction, specifically?
Margaret Forgione
1:12:52
I'm sorry.
1:12:53
Oh, you're talking about heat specifically.
1:12:55
Let me mention a few different things then.
1:12:58
Okay.
1:12:58
Thank you.
1:12:59
So a lot of our pedestrian work, our plazas, our new pedestrian spaces, are painted.
1:13:06
They are painted a light color.
1:13:08
That is something that, you know, will reflect the heat.
1:13:11
One thing that we're very aware of while we're talking about this issue is how would the work that we do in the street affect the heat of the neighboring buildings, for example?
1:13:21
Like, does it deflect it?
1:13:23
Does it reflect it?
1:13:24
That is, one challenge in this area.
1:13:27
That is something that we would like to talk about further.
1:13:31
We've looked at more drinking fountains in our public spaces, seating that can also help, with cooling.
1:13:39
And, you know, if we're talking about like a coating on the streets in general, we need to be aware of whether or not that coating, reduces the life of the pavement, if we can still mill and pave our streets the the way we normally would.
1:13:54
So these are some of the things that we've considered that we'd like to talk to you you know, sit down and talk through with you.
Sandy Nurse
1:13:59
Yeah.
1:13:59
All of the, from what I understand, the treatment is done right as you're resurfacing or as you're already repaving, you put the treatment right on.
1:14:08
You could either do it the same day.
1:14:10
Some treatments, you can wait a few days.
1:14:13
You're already there, and so you do it at the time of your your repaving anyways.
1:14:18
So it would just go on your normal schedule of how you're dealing with, repaving the roads.
1:14:25
Some of them have been found, as I mentioned, to extend the life of the asphalt, and they're continuing to do studies on that.
1:14:33
So there is quite a bit of research already done.
1:14:35
I mean, you you mentioned, you know, there's a lot of research needs to understand how to do this.
1:14:42
This, that's the point of the pilot.
1:14:44
You would you would study 4 blocks, or 4 neighbor 4 areas, and and conduct the pilot, and there's an abundance of research around now available to you all.
1:14:58
So I, you know, I from what I'm saying from what I'm hearing, you're not, specifically, testifying that you are against the bill, but that you would like to to work it out.
1:15:10
Is that correct?
Margaret Forgione
1:15:11
We'd like to yes.
Selvena Brooks-Powers
1:15:12
We'd like
Margaret Forgione
1:15:12
to talk to you more about
Sandy Nurse
1:15:13
it.
1:15:13
That would be great.
1:15:14
Yeah.