City Council Approves Stormwater "Green Street" Demonstration Project on Pullen Road

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The Raleigh City Council, on Feb. 7, authorized a collaborative project to demonstrate stormwater green street technology on Pullen Road.

The City of Raleigh Stormwater Utility Division of the Public Works Department and the City of Raleigh’s Urban Design Center are partnering with North Carolina State University’s Department of Landscape Architecture to design and build a green street demonstration project within the right-of-way on Pullen Road, between North Carolina State University and Pullen Park.

According to the conceptual design, a stormwater bioretention rain garden device will be installed within an existing no-parking zone on Pullen Road. Stormwater drainage will flow from the street into the stormwater device, filter through vegetation and soil, and then drain out through a pipe connected to existing stormwater infrastructure located below Pullen Road.

This project is intended to help address water quality concerns in the Rocky Branch watershed, the Walnut Creek and the Neuse River watersheds. Walnut Creek has been placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s 303(d) list of impaired waters. The project also will serve as a demonstration and research site examining how stormwater management may be incorporated into both new and existing roadways.

North Carolina State University’s Department of Landscape Architecture has completed several demonstration projects on the campus with great success. This partnership between the Department of Landscape Architecture and the City of Raleigh will further promote the successes of using green infrastructure.

The total construction cost estimate for the project is less than $100,000 and will be funded by stormwater utility fees. Designs are nearing completion with the optimal time to construct the device being after North Carolina State University’s spring semester ends and before the fall semester begins.

Digital illustrations provided by Biosis Design, 2011. All rights reserved.