Park Lane is a clear example of planning and urban design ingenuity at its finest. After years of making repairs, flooding, and managing heavy vehicular traffic, the City of Kirkland decided to think more long term. Rather than replace the water main and just re-pave the road, Kirlkland wanted to turn Park Lane into a “flexible street”, to make it more pedestrian friendly and limit the amount cars in the area.
Obtaining grants from the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Transportation Alternatives panel, Kirkland enlisted the help of Cascade Design Collaborative to conceptualize the project. The result was a corridor connecting the central Downtown core to the local marina. Called an American woonerf, this road is now open to limited traffic, widened sidewalks with bollards to protect pedestrians, and can be closed off for special events. Local business owners have offered unanimous praise for the new design and reported a surge of new customers as the project came to completion.
Cascade Design Collaborative chose Eco-Priora permeable pavers for the 36,000 square feet of road surface. Coupled with a bio-retention area, these permeable pavers function by directing stormwater runoff into surrounding planters, where trees and flowers thrive. To complement the road, Holland interlocking concrete pavers were chosen for the sidewalks, providing differentiation between the vehicular and pedestrian areas.
Receiving national recognition by the American Planning Association (APA), Park Lane serves as an example of a street that people “go to” and not just “go through”.
Marshbank Construction was the general contractor and Perteet Engineering was the engineer for the project The pavers were installed by Eastern States Paving, who did an excellent job of bringing the corridor to completion.
For a more in-depth understanding of permeable pavers the Interlocking Concrete Pavements Institute (ICPI) put together some case studies detailing how permeable pavers were used to solve various problems encountered by municipalities and developers.
If you’re interested in learning more about how permeable pavers can help address stormwater management issues you face, please contact us at 1-888-688-8250 to speak with an hardscape sales representative.
Resources:
Citations:
- City of Kirkland, Washington
- Washington State Department of Ecology
- American Planning Association
- Interlocking Concrete Pavements Institute
- Mutual Materials
- Mutual Materials – Permeable Pavers
Find locations for Mutual Materials branch stores here.
