Life-Cycle Environmental Analysis for Evaluation of Pavement Rehabilitation Options

Transportation engineers, planners, and policy makers are currently faced with the need to incorporate sustainability issues such as energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and overall health impacts into the decision-making process. Life-cycle environmental analysis (LCEA) is one of the evolving tools available to assist in this effort. LCEA differs from traditional environmental analysis in that LCEA takes a more comprehensive look, or global perspective, at the environmental and resource burden of specific management decisions as opposed to traditional environmental analysis, which tends to focus almost exclusively on specific impacts at the activity or in the immediate geographic vicinity of the activity. The results of a study are presented: the computer program Pavement Life-Cycle Assessment Tool for Environmental and Economic Effects (PaLATE) was used to compare the environmental burden of employing cold in-place recycling with the environmental burden of the conventional maintenance options of a 3-in. mill and fill and a 3-in. hot-mix asphalt overlay. The results illustrate the potential of life-cycle environmental models to assist transportation officials in developing 21st century transportation policy as well as the current limitations associated with their use.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/2227-05
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Life-Cycle+Environmental+Analysis+for+Evaluation+of+Pavement+Rehabilitation+Options&author=S.+Cross&author=W.+Chesner&author=H.+Justus&author=E.+Kearney&publication_year=2011
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/166429.aspx
• Authors:
  • Cross, Stephen A
  • Chesner, Warren H
  • Justus, Henry G
  • Kearney, Edward R
• Publication Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 43-52
• Monograph Title: Pavement Management 2011, Volume 3
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
  • Issue Number: 2227
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cold in-place recycling; Decision making; Environmental impacts; Life cycle analysis; Pavement maintenance; Rehabilitation
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Pavements; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01333097
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309167505
• Report/Paper Numbers: 11-3334
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 21 2011 2:13PM