A Framework for Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Road Salt Used in Winter Maintenance Operations

It is important to assess from a holistic perspective the sustainability of road salt widely used in winter road maintenance (WRM) operations. The importance becomes increasingly apparent in light of competing priorities faced by roadway agencies, the need for collaborative decision-making, and growing concerns over the risks that road salt poses for motor vehicles, transportation infrastructure, and the natural environment. This project introduces the concept of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA), which combines Life Cycle Costing, Environmental Life Cycle Assessment, and Social Life Cycle Assessment. The combination captures the features of three pillars in sustainability: economic development, environmental preservation, and social progress. With this framework, it is possible to enable more informed and balanced decisions by considering the entire life cycle of road salt and accounting for the indirect impacts of applying road salt for snow and ice control. This project proposes a LCSA framework of road salt, which examines the three branches of LCSA, their relationships in the integrated framework, and the complexities and caveats in the LCSA. While this framework is a first step in the right direction, the authors envision that it will be improved and enriched by continued research and may serve as a template for the LCSA of other WRM products, technologies, and practices.

• Record URL:
  http://cem.uaf.edu/media/223729/final-cesticc-report-101403.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Western Transportation Institute

  Montana State University
  P.O. Box 174250
  Bozeman, MT  United States  59717-4250

  Washington State University, Pullman

  Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
  Pullman, WA  United States  99164-2910

  Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates

  University of Alaska Fairbanks
  P.O. Box 755900
  Fairbanks, AK  United States  99775

  Department of Transportation

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Cui, Na
  • Xie, Ning
  • Shi, Xianming
• Publication Date: 2016-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 50p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Deicing chemicals; Economic impacts; Environmental impacts; Life cycle analysis; Snow and ice control; Social impacts; Winter maintenance
• Subject Areas: Economics; Environment; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01633399
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: INE/AUTC 17.04
• Contract Numbers: INE/CESTiCC 101403
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 21 2017 2:50PM