When WKU students return to the hill next month….several parking lots will have a whole new look.
Some will even have more spaces.

Amy Bingham has more in this week’s View from the Hill.

In at least four parking lots on WKU’S campus this summer…rows of cars have been replaced by piles of dirt.
 
“We’ve removed all existing surface gravel, asphalt and various concrete on all lots..doing a full depth reconstruction.”

This full depth reconstruction is being done with an eye toward the environment.

Pervious pavement …like this that’s already been poured at the parking lot on Normal and University… will allow stormwater to seep into the ground.
 
“It literally is a pavement that allows the water to go through it instead of running off of it.”

Once completed…fifty additional spaces will be added to the Adams street lot…adjacent to the Kentucky Museum.
Vehicles will actually  be able to park on top of this underground stormwater storage area.

That’s what’s gonna happen underneath the parking lot, water is going to be retained until it is infiltrated into the ground.”

Over at the Chestnut Street lot…stormwater runoff will be reduced by 41 percent thanks to the permeable asphalt.
 
“Let the natural filter take place and even mechanical filters in some cases get rid of pollutants thereby reducing our carbon footprint and improving the quality of water that goes into streams.”

Crews are watching the clock closely as the start of the fall semester approaches and are hoping students will be pleasantly surprised by the changes.

We look forward to the opportunity to share with them some of these innovative designs we are incorporating into the parking lots.”

With this week’s View from the Hill, I’m Amy Bingham.

The reconstruction of lots on Chestnut, Normal, Adams and PFT will result in a net gain of 276 spaces.