Sharp Avenue—Pearl Street to Hamilton, Gonzaga University—Porous Asphalt Paving

Year: 2018 

Several GU civil engineering senior design classes, led by Associate Professor Sue Niezgoda in collaboration with the city of Spokane, contributed to environmentally sustainable solutions for the street’s stormwater management. Those solutions include porous asphalt and concrete roadway sections and bio-retention swales in the center of the avenue that will filter and treat stormwater before it reaches the Spokane River and the region’s estimated 10-trillion-gallon aquifer. 

In addition to the porous asphalt in travel-lane sections and porous concrete in some parking-stall locations, an inverted landscaped crown allows water to drain to the middle of the street rather than the edges. The project also includes monitoring stations for the city to measure how much stormwater is captured and to assess the effectiveness of various techniques and mediums at cleaning pollutants.  

photo & description: https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/stories/2018/10/26/collaboration-drives-safety-and-environmental-improvements-to-sharp-avenue