Low Impact Development Technologies for Highway Stormwater Runoff

Abstract The linear nature of highways and other transportation settings makes management of stormwater runoff (SWR) generated by those surfaces a special consideration compared to stormwater management in urban settings. This article summarizes the most significant pollutants found in SWR from highways as well as the best management practices, with an emphasis on low impact development (LID), used to alleviate the impact of these pollutants on the waterways with which they come in contact. LID strategies discussed in terms of construction and pollutant attenuation capabilities include vegetated roadsides, vegetated filter strips, swales, bioretention filters, bioslopes, compost‐amended soils, and pervious pavements.