A unique green street project that has the potential to breathe new life into downtown Fayetteville already has demonstrated its value while still under construction, weathering Hurricane Matthew without any setbacks.

“There’s no green street quite like the one that’s being built here in Fayetteville,” said Bill Hunt, Extension Specialist and William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.

In fact, Hunt said, this green infrastructure project is the first of its kind in North Carolina, boasting a variety of different stormwater control measures designed to reduce the impact of runoff on nearby waterways.

“The project includes permeable pavement, suspended pavement systems and bio-infiltration bump-outs, which essentially are rain gardens,” said Katy Conroy, graduate research assistant in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. “My research on the street involves both pre- and post-retrofit monitoring of the hydrology and water quality of the stormwater runoff from the street to see how the green street performs.”

Thanks to funding from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and collaboration among the NC State Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, the City of Fayetteville and the Cumberland County office of North Carolina Cooperative Extension, construction of the green street will be completed in November.

“We hope this project will generate more economic development in the area for potential redevelopment, which eventually will increase the activity in the area … and allow the city to expand the downtown district,” said Fayetteville City Engineer Giselle Rodriguez.