On September 28, 2024, a prefabricated smart road pavement was built on a road in Zuohai Park in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China. This innovative smart road pavement is part of the outcomes of the research project ‘New prefabricated composite pavement systems for sustainable and smart-city development of Hong Kong: Key scientific and engineering solutions.’
This smart road pavement has multiple functions, including traffic support, flood mitigation, noise reduction, surface temperature reduction, skid resistance improvement, and pollutant removal from stormwater runoffs. In particular, Fuzhou has a subtropic climate characterized by heavy rainfall and hot summer. This pavement can effectively use the space occupied by road to store stormwater, hence reducing the burdens of drainage systems and improving the resilience of the city. On hot days, emerging water from the pavement can cool the road surface. This is another innovative and useful function to combat extreme heat.
The demonstration of this project provided a good foundation for the nature-based solutions. It also provided a case for promoting innovations in urban infrastructure development.