Technology
Jessica Lombardo, Editor-in-Chief
High-Tech Street Sweepers Designed to Increase Life of Roadways, Improve Sustainability Sweepers Improve Road Performance
MOST STREET superintendents and property owners recognize the value of street sweeping. Clean streets enhance property values and promote community pride. Road sweeping also reduces clogged storm drains and sewers and combats fugitive dust. Sweeping has both an economic and environmental impact on
22
communities and neighborhoods, but city planners and homeowner associations can struggle with how to best provide street cleaning service while holding the line on rising maintenance costs. New technology is being developed for these machines that helps road owners accomplish their tasks faster while also extending the life of their roadways.
It's not news that street sweeping helps improve the life of a roadway. When debris piles up along the curb, it blocks the path of water meant to flow freely. When the water is blocked, it pools around the debris and seeps into the pavement. Pooling water can soak into the asphalt, making it soft. Soft pavements are more prone to cracks and inevitably potholes. Once a pavement potholes, more extensive repairs are needed than just your routine maintenance which increases cost of ownership on that pavement. Regular sweeping clears the debris allowing the water to flow to freely, reducing the risk of potholes. There are stories of cities all over the country purchasing new sweeping equipment to help preserve their roadways and the equipment is adapting to help. High efficiency street sweepers like the ones Dulevo Industrial, based in Italy, are making employ various fugitive dust loss controls to efficiently remove
rem ch to gro
accumulated particulate matter and associated organic material. Not removing these fine particle materials prematurely wears pavement down. These machines not only remove a high level of accumulated material of all sizes (especially smallmicron material less than 60 microns), but also are designed to control fugitive dust losses.
Upping the Sustainability Factor Street sweeping also helps prevent materials, such as sand, salt and debris, from being washed into storm sewers that drain into local waterways. Removing the sand and salt material keeps it from being swept into the stormwater system when it rains. This helps lower the amount of bacteria, chemicals, chloride from deicing salt, and other pollutants from entering local waterways. Only one teaspoon of salt can permanently pollute five gallons of water, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Once in the water, there is no easy way to
May 2021 • Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
PVM0521_22-23_TechUpdate_DJ.indd 22
4/20/21 8:22 AM
an sw sw ha ma mo fri are the D.Z pu Pe
zer zer zer int
