The Greenest Street in America of 2013
The verdict is in and as of April 1st 2013, Cermak Road in Chicago, IL is named the greenest street in America. What makes this road so green? Well, its ability to be a self-sustaining and sufficient road is what puts it ahead of the competition. As part of a big effort to working towards a better future, the Windy city jump-started a $14 million project in redoing the industrial Pilsen neighborhood. Not only did they prove that it can be done in such a busy area but they were able to do it with a smaller budget than a traditional road-resurfacing project along with the expectancy of a lower cost for future maintenance.
Fed up with waiting for the federal government to take action, Chicago decided to take the matter in their own hands. The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has chosen Cermak Road and Blue Island Avenue in the Pilsen neighborhood because of its busy industrial environment and for its frequent visit from trucks. Those challenging factors made the two streets the ideal situation for the new project to tackle. The project targeted on reducing waste, energy, smog, cost, and run offs. It also inspired major innovation and unique ideas such as the smog-eating pavement.
The smog-eating paving was developed by an Italian company called, Italcementi, and its main use was to protect the Catholic churches from the growing pollution in Rome. The Catholic churches are typically white and if exposed enough to the smog, it will turn dark and dirty. This cement, TioCem, is made up of titanium dioxide and it reacts with the Sun’s UV light to produce OH, which reacts with the Nitrogen Dioxide in the air. The Nitrogen Dioxide reacts with the hydroxide and forms Nitrogen Oxide, which then lays dormant in the cement until it is dissolved by water. Unfortunately, TioCem is more costly than the traditional pavement, but Chicago is determined to use it in practice. They laid down a thin layer of TioCem on the road for bicycle and parking lanes.
Here are some other ways that made Cermak Road the greenest street in America in 2013:
· Streetlights are run by solar and wind power.
· Plants and trees are planted to capture more carbon dioxide.
· The sidewalks are made of recycled concrete.
· More bicycle lanes are added to encourage more people to ride bikes and to cut down on emissions.
· More trees, shrubs, and grasses are being planted to form a bioswales, which help prevent the rainwater from overfilling the sewer system.
~era
Photo Courtesy of CDOT
References: http://phys.org/news/2013-04-smog-eating-pavement-greenest-street-america.html http://www.ases.org/smog-eating-pavement-on-chicagos-greenest-street-in-america/ http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/chicago-debuts-smog-eating-street/3284 http://www.heidelbergcement.com/NR/rdonlyres/7DEA23C8-7023-46FD-8BEE-5AA11CF4FC33/0/Sonderdruck_TioCem.pdf http://www.picada-project.com/domino/SitePicada/Picada.nsf?OpenDataBase