diff --git a/include/engine/datafacade/internal_datafacade.hpp b/include/engine/datafacade/internal_datafacade.hpp
index 16ab0769c..c15b12182 100644
--- a/include/engine/datafacade/internal_datafacade.hpp
+++ b/include/engine/datafacade/internal_datafacade.hpp
@@ -228,13 +228,13 @@ class InternalDataFacade final : public BaseDataFacade
         }
     }
 
-    void LoadDatasourceInfo(const std::string &datasource_names_file,
-                            const std::string &datasource_indexes_file)
+    void LoadDatasourceInfo(const boost::filesystem::path &datasource_names_file,
+                            const boost::filesystem::path &datasource_indexes_file)
     {
         boost::filesystem::ifstream datasources_stream(datasource_indexes_file, std::ios::binary);
         if (!datasources_stream)
         {
-            throw util::exception("Could not open " + datasource_indexes_file + " for reading!");
+            throw util::exception("Could not open " + datasource_indexes_file.string() + " for reading!");
         }
         BOOST_ASSERT(datasources_stream);
 
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ class InternalDataFacade final : public BaseDataFacade
         boost::filesystem::ifstream datasourcenames_stream(datasource_names_file, std::ios::binary);
         if (!datasourcenames_stream)
         {
-            throw util::exception("Could not open " + datasource_names_file + " for reading!");
+            throw util::exception("Could not open " + datasource_names_file.string() + " for reading!");
         }
         BOOST_ASSERT(datasourcenames_stream);
         std::string name;
diff --git a/include/storage/storage_config.hpp b/include/storage/storage_config.hpp
index 29dd3cbc5..b5d016408 100644
--- a/include/storage/storage_config.hpp
+++ b/include/storage/storage_config.hpp
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 
 #include <boost/filesystem/path.hpp>
 
-#include <string>
-
 namespace osrm
 {
 namespace storage
@@ -15,18 +13,18 @@ struct StorageConfig
     StorageConfig(const boost::filesystem::path &base);
     bool IsValid() const;
 
-    std::string ram_index_path;
-    std::string file_index_path;
-    std::string hsgr_data_path;
-    std::string nodes_data_path;
-    std::string edges_data_path;
-    std::string core_data_path;
-    std::string geometries_path;
-    std::string timestamp_path;
-    std::string datasource_names_path;
-    std::string datasource_indexes_path;
-    std::string names_data_path;
-    std::string properties_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path ram_index_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path file_index_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path hsgr_data_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path nodes_data_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path edges_data_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path core_data_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path geometries_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path timestamp_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path datasource_names_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path datasource_indexes_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path names_data_path;
+    boost::filesystem::path properties_path;
 };
 }
 }
diff --git a/src/storage/storage.cpp b/src/storage/storage.cpp
index 4dea95b1a..be5ce3f83 100644
--- a/src/storage/storage.cpp
+++ b/src/storage/storage.cpp
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ int Storage::Run()
     auto shared_layout_ptr = new (layout_memory->Ptr()) SharedDataLayout();
 
     shared_layout_ptr->SetBlockSize<char>(SharedDataLayout::FILE_INDEX_PATH,
-                                          config.file_index_path.length() + 1);
+                                          config.file_index_path.string().length() + 1);
 
     // collect number of elements to store in shared memory object
     util::SimpleLogger().Write() << "load names from: " << config.names_data_path;
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ int Storage::Run()
               file_index_path_ptr +
                   shared_layout_ptr->GetBlockSize(SharedDataLayout::FILE_INDEX_PATH),
               0);
-    std::copy(config.file_index_path.begin(), config.file_index_path.end(), file_index_path_ptr);
+    std::copy(config.file_index_path.string().begin(), config.file_index_path.string().end(), file_index_path_ptr);
 
     // Loading street names
     unsigned *name_offsets_ptr = shared_layout_ptr->GetBlockPtr<unsigned, true>(
@@ -528,7 +528,7 @@ int Storage::Run()
     boost::filesystem::ifstream profile_properties_stream(config.properties_path);
     if (!profile_properties_stream)
     {
-        util::exception("Could not open " + config.properties_path + " for reading!");
+        util::exception("Could not open " + config.properties_path.string() + " for reading!");
     }
     profile_properties_stream.read(reinterpret_cast<char*>(profile_properties_ptr), sizeof(extractor::ProfileProperties));