Design and operational criteria, utilization concepts, benefits and disadvantages, as well as other characteristics of porous pavements are presented in this report. Particular emphasis is placed on porous asphalt pavements, but the criteria and design approach are applicable to all other porous pavement types. The design considerations presented in this report include siting problems, load bearing design, and hydrologic design. A brief history of porous pavement development and previous experience with porous pavement by several designers, contractors, and operators are described. A computer model for hydrologic performance evaluation of existing or proposed porous pavement systems is also described in this report. Load bearing design criteria are based on previous work conducted for porous asphalt pavements. Appendices to this report include a sample set of specifications for porous asphalt construction and a list of soils and their permeability classes as prepared by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service.

Prepared for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Municipal Environmental Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio, submitted by Espey, Huston and Associates, Inc., under grant no. R806338. Includes bibliographical references (pages 60-61).