Quantifying Sustainable Pavements in Virginia—FHWA Climate Challenge Study

Details

• Creators:
  Amarh, Eugene A. ; Katicha, Samer W. ; Flintsch, Gerardo W. ; Diefenderfer, Brian K.
• Corporate Creators:
  Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC)
• Corporate Contributors:
  Virginia. Department of Transportation ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Asphalt Mixtures Case Studies Climate Change Emissions Testing Global Warming Life Cycle Analysis Monitoring Pavements Sustainable Development
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/VTRC 26-R32
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Virginia
• Edition:
  Final Contract: 7/14/23–10/31/25
• Corporate Publisher:
  Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC)
• Abstract:
  This study supports Virginia’s efforts to participate in the Federal Highway Administration’s Climate Challenge Program. The research team developed and applied OpenLCA models to evaluate the effects of key pavement treatments, including asphalt overlays, balanced mix designs, cold in-place recycling, full-depth reclamation, and Portland cement concrete paving. The research incorporated detailed data from more than 25 projects across Virginia and selected out-of-state case studies, collected through site visits, contractor records, and direct equipment monitoring. All modeled systems included emissions related to life cycle assessment modules A1, material extraction and production; A2, transport to production plant; A3, mixture production; A4, transport to construction site; and A5, construction, with results normalized to kg CO₂-equivalent per lane-mile and presented as global warming potential (GWP). Because data for asphalt-based mixtures were more readily available, the work focused on these materials.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  124057
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:aa83cbcbcba31224241f1fae10ba506a35408ca3fbf64be9b8553725e93b493a133fe91dc84a56c9a671fa4f1b75bf367bbb2f1fd37979daa5e44fd2a16cd72f
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/89116/dot_89116_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.32 MB ]