Davis secures $24M grant to fund cooling pavement project, curb extreme heat
DAVIS -- The City of Davis secured $24 million in federal funds, the largest grant in city history, to begin its cool pavement project.
The region's recent triple-digit heat wave has residents eager for some relief. The big-budget project will, hopefully, in the years to come help ease heat island effects in dense parts of Davis that trap in hot air.
"It's kind of like when you open the door to the oven when you're baking," Victoria Sheridan said of the heat that rose to around 110 degrees in Davis on Wednesday.
Sheridan owns Sunflowers and Sage Herb Farm and has embraced the heat wave in the past few weeks at the market.
"I have my ice water, I have bags of ice I can put on myself and I have my fan!" said Sheridan.
The cool pavement project, though not a rapid relief, is expected to help cool Davis in the long term.
It is part of the city's Climate Action and Adaptation Plan which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the effects of extreme heat.
"It's addressing some of the changes being caused by global warming and climate change in general," said Ryan Chapman, assistant director of Public Works in Davis.
Chapman said that through the installation of solar reflective "cool" pavement at critical areas throughout the city, Davis will become more resilient over time to high heat.
"We were looking at areas where we didn't have a lot of tree coverage or issues where the pavement was able to absorb a lot of heat and then raise the temperature of the surrounding neighborhood," Chapman said.
Conventional pavement in peak summer can climb to 120 to 150 degrees. Cooling pavement is reflective and does not absorb the sun's heat. In theory, this makes the air around it cooler.
The cooling pavement acts as a facelift to existing roads. A water-borne acrylic-based coating is applied on top of the existing asphalt.
"They are lighter surfaces so it's not just black asphalt to help combat the heat island effect," Chapman said.
Davis identified 15 roadways already in need of repair that offer little shade where cooling pavement could make a big difference.
They include:
- Marina Circle
- Arlington Boulevard
- Sycamore Lane from West Covell Boulevard to the city limits
- Alvarado Avenue from Sycamore Lane to Anderson Road
- Anderson Road from Villanova Drive to West Covell Boulevard
- Sycamore Lane from Purdue Drive to Villanova Drive
- Russell Boulevard from Sycamore Lane to College Park
- B Street from First Street to Fifth Street
- Fifth Street from B Street to the railroad tracks
- Richards Boulevard from First Street to I-80
- East Eighth Street from M Street to Pole Line Road
- Pole Line Road from the Union Pacific Railroad Overcrossing bridge to East Eighth Street
- Research Park Drive
- Fifth Street from Pena Drive to the Dave Pelz Path
- Chiles Road from 400 feet west of Ensenada Drive to the I-80 eastbound freeway exit
The heat this summer has been unrelenting for people all across the region.
"We'll get through it," said Sheridan with a smile.
This project represents what will end up totaling a $30 million investment in Davis to bring some relief in summers to come. The additional $6 million in funding will be provided by the City of Davis.
Road construction on the cooling pavement project won't kick off for another year and is expected to take about five years to complete.
