City of Irvine Tests Innovative Pavement Coating Designed to Reduce Surface Temperature

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

The City of Irvine has become the first city in Orange County to apply an innovative pavement coating that extends the life of City streets while helping to reduce heat from the ground up. 
 

DuraShield Solar Reflective is a waterborne epoxy-modified acrylic grey pavement coating, similar to slurry seal, that is being applied on San Juan and San Leon as part of a pilot program. The coating is designed to reduce pavement surface temperature and may reduce ambient air temperatures. It also reduces UV and heat damage to pavement. 
 

Additional benefits include:  

  • Reduces water penetration into pavement substrate

  • Slows deterioration of pavement. 

  • Retains high friction in wet and dry conditions. 

  • Quickly cures, enabling traffic to get back on the street the same day and reduce tracking. 

  • Does not affect driver glare.  
     

City staff will monitor the pavement on San Juan and San Leon over the course of a year to analyze durability and surface and ambient air temperatures. 
  
A recognized leader in sustainability, the cool pavement pilot program aligns with the City’s climate adaptation efforts aimed at transforming Irvine into a model climate-smart city for the future.
 

DuraShield, which is designed to last approximately seven years before it needs to be reapplied, has been used in several other cities, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Miami.  
 

For more information, visit cityofirvine.org/coolpavement.