Sustainability in road projects: building the business case

Transport infrastructure is critical to well functioning communities across the globe. Roads are public assets that are provided for the common good of society. With long life spans, roads have significant impacts and benefits to local communities through the ability to shape land use and urbanisation, support economic and community development and generate consequences for local environments. In response to a series of international commitments to sustainable development, many infrastructure agencies adopt sustainability objectives at a corporate level and incorporate sustainability targets and indicators as part of corporate reporting processes. Road agencies are now incorporating sustainability considerations into the design, construction and operation phases of road projects using tools such as the Infrastructure Sustainability tool developed by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA). However, the decisions made within the planning phase provide the greatest opportunity to optimise sustainable outcomes at a broader level, including impacts on pavement solutions. There is a need to develop guidelines for investment decision making that better align with corporate sustainability objectives stated by infrastructure providers. It is proposed that a more effective decision making process should involve the incorporation of sustainability goals from corporate planning documents into the decision making process; problem definition and option generation using investment management guidelines as evidenced by “best practice” investment management processes; comprehensive analysis of project options and impacts using a range of assessment tools; and greater involvement from the public to accurately reflect community values and local knowledge that may not be documented or understood by infrastructure providers.

• Record URL:
  http://arrbknowledge.com
• Authors:
  • Reidy, A
  • Kumar, A
  • Kajewski, S
• Conference:
  • AAPA International Flexible Pavements Conference, 16th, 2015, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
• Publication Date: 2015-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 13p
• Monograph Title: Innovation driving value: AAPA International Flexible Pavements Conference, 13-16 September 2015, Gold Coast, Queensland

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Construction; Highway planning; Highways; Infrastructure; Planning; Sustainable development; Transportation departments; Types of roads by network
• Uncontrolled Terms: Road design and asset management; Road networks
• Geographic Terms: Australia
• ATRI Terms: Infrastructure; Road authority; Road network; Road planning; Sustainable development
• ITRD Terms: 1055: Transport infrastructure
• Subject Areas: Construction; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01588869
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: Jan 29 2016 10:20AM