Light and dark pavement in Santa Cruz County

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Black asphalt gets very hot in the sun. If the pavement was a lighter color, it would not absorb as much heat. Because roads and parking lots cover so much of our city's area, lighter colored pavement could conceivably make our city cooler during hot weather, reduce energy use for air conditioning and even help reduce global warming. One study (see link below) suggested that $90 million/year could be saved in the LA area if lighter colored pavement were widely used. The crushed rock in asphalt determines the color of the pavement as the petroleum part wears away. If the city simply used a light colored aggregate, the color of our roads would eventually become lighter. Los Angeles maintains so much pavement that the city owns its own asphalt plant, so perhaps this is a low-cost change the city could make.