The Village of Flossmoor is nearly complete with its first-ever green infrastructure road project as the final permeable brick pavers are soon being installed to complete the Berry Lane Drainage Improvement Project. Not only is it Flossmoor's first permeable roadway, but it is also one of the first projects of its kind in the south suburbs.

The Flossmoor Public Works Department selected permeable pavers for the Berry Lane Drainage Improvement Project for a couple of reasons. Because Berry Lane is subject to frequent and extreme flooding, the first phase of the project was the installation of a larger storm sewer system that would allow for better drainage capacity during extreme weather events. Additionally, the installation of permeable pavers will also contribute to flood mitigation because of the base layer of stone that serves as a detention pond under the pavers.

Traditional concrete roadways are built with a crown, or slightly raised hill, in the center that allows water to drain to either side and into the storm system. When we have major rain events in which a lot of rain falls in a short period of time, the storm system struggles to drain the rapid flow of water. However, because the brick pavers are permeable, they allow water to flow through them to the stone layer where the water can slowly and evenly drain through the road's underdrain. This allows the storm system to slowly collect the water and properly funnel it to its exit.

Permeable pavers are also considered green infrastructure because as water sits in the stone detention pond, some of it is also slowly absorbed into the clay layer below and back into the ground and the Earth's natural aquifers.

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