Green Roads

Minnesota Pavement Conference

2

Country or Group

Tonnes oil equivalent/capita/year

India 0.6China 1.3EU (25) 3.6US 7.8

3

4

Roads use a lot of materials every year.

Individual materials Amount Used per Year Cost per Year

Virgin aggregate 1,300 million tons $10 billion

Asphalt 40 million tons $13 billion

Cement 10 million tons $1 billion

Total 1,350 million tons $24 billion

Conglomerate materials Amount Used per Year Cost in Place

Hot mix asphalt (HMA) 600 million tons $36 billion

Portland cement concrete (PCC) 60 million tons $6 billion

Total 660 million tons $42 billion

5

Energy costs serious money.

From Wall Street Journal, 3 Jan 2008, p.A1.

6

SR 20 through North Cascades National Park, WAOctavia Blvd., San Francisco, CA

7

There is a strong case for sustainable practices in transportation making a big difference.

2007 Little Green Data Book (World Bank)

Residential21%

Commercial18%

Industrial32%

Transportation29%

2006 U.S. Energy Use

Transportation Energy Data Book (U.S. DOE)

Transportation20%

Other11%

Electricity & Heat36%

Agriculture8%

Other Fuel Combustion

13%

Manufacturing& Construction

12%

2000 CO2 Emissions by SourceIndustrialized Countries

8

More specifically, sustainable choices in transportation construction can make a big difference.

2006 Non-Residential Construction Spending from the U.S. Census Bureau

$18 billion

$55 billion

$76 billion

$40 billion

$86 billion

$8 billion

$8 billion

$18 billion

$22 billion

$39 billion

$27 billion

$72 billion

$23 billion

$15 billion

$5 billion

$34 billion

$0 $10 $20 $30 $40 $50 $60 $70 $80 $90 $100

Lodging

Office

Commercial

Health care

Educational

Religious

Public safety

Amusement and recreation

Communication

Power

Transportation

Highway and street

Sewage and waste disposal

Water supply

Conservation and development

Manufacturing

Construction Put-in-Place (billions of dollars)

$100 billion

9

SustainabilityGoal Sustain economic prosperity and a high quality of life for all while protecting the natural systems of the planet.

Key Components•Economic•Environmental•Social

10

Support for sustainability everywhere.

11

Making Sense of Sustainability:Green Roads Rating Standard

What is it?A rating system designed to distinguish high-performance sustainable new or redesigned/rehabilitated roads.

What does it do?It awards credits for approved sustainable choices and can be used to certify projects based on total point value.

How does it help?Provides a straightforward means of understanding and quantifying sustainability in roadway design and construction.

12

LEED(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

LEED certification standards– New Commercial Construction and Major Renovation Projects– Multiple Buildings and On-Campus Building Projects– Existing Building Operations and Maintenance– Commercial Interiors Projects– Core and Shell Development Projects– Homes– Neighborhood Development– Schools

A “…nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance.”

-U.S. Green Building Council

LEED for new construction buildings

Distributionby geography

1-1920-4950-99100-199200+

9 4

91111

69

1252582

4028 14

8

134

186480

22

23

57

19

66

18

73

1022211

19

12079

11936

52

74

95

173

17433105

61 2712

9 (DE) 38 (DC)

23 (DE)

24 (NH)

5 (OK)

4

68AK=10HI=16PR=1

as of 07/06

14

Green Roads is a rating system designed to distinguish high-performance sustainable new or redesigned/rehabilitated roads.

It awards credits for approved sustainable choices/practices and can be used to certify projects based on point value.

TransNow, CH2M Hill, University of Toledo, Sowing Green

Developing Partnerships

15

Green Roads Categories

Category Goal Credits

Sustainable Design Reduce impacts due to design choices including the road alignment. 10

Material & Resources Reduce impacts from material extraction, processing and transport. 11

Stormwater Management Reduce impacts of polluted stormwater and treatment devices. 8

Energy & Environmental Control Improve human and wildlife health. 12

Construction Activities Reduce impacts from construction activities. 9

Innovation Encourage innovation in design. 4

Total 54

Description CreditsConstruction Waste Management 1Reuse of Pavement 2Recycled Content 4Pavement Life Cycle Analysis 3Regionally Provided Material 1Total Credits Available 11

Materials & Resources (MR)

17

Construction Waste Management

18

We have done well recycling HMA and PCC as part of road construction.

Asphalt and Concrete Recycled 1999 to 2004

Graph from the Washington State Department of Ecology

HMA/PCC recycling = 51% of diverted waste

19

But we can do better.

6% from recycled aggregate

94% from virgin aggregate

Origins of the 3.2 billion tons/yr of aggregate used in the U.S.

20

We can reduce the amount to landfills, and increase the amount to high-value surfacings.

HMA27%

Base Material53%

Landfill20%

Destination of Recovered HMA Destination of Recovered PCC

HMA/PCC12%

Fill, Rip-Rap and Other

14%Base Material

54%

Landfill20%

21

Example MR Credit

Recycled Content Credits 4

One credit: Use recycled content to a minimum of 20% in the HMA/PCC and 40% of the total material in the structure if base course is included in the project.

Two credits: Use recycled content to a minimum of 30% in the HMA/PCC and 50% of the total material in the structure if base course is included in the project.

Three credits: Use recycled content to a minimum of 40% in the HMA/PCC and 60% of the total material in the structure if base course is included in the project.

Four credits: Use recycled content to a minimum of 50% in the HMA/PCC and 70% of the total material in the structure if base course is included in the project.

Description CreditsReduced Diesel Emissions 1Reduced Fossil Fuel Dependency 1Temporary Stormwater Control 1Noise Mitigation Planning 1Paving Emissions 1Construction Quality 2Quality Process 2Total Credits Available 9

Construction Activities (CA)

23

Certification Levels

19-25 credits 26-31 credits 32-37 credits 38+ credits

24

25

Benefits

• More sustainable roads• Specific benefits:

– Provide a system which defines basic roadway sustainability attributes

– Allow a greater audience to participate in roadway sustainability in a meaningful way

– Allow sustainability tradeoffs and decisions to be made in a systematic manner

– Provide means for sustainability assessment– Confer marketable recognition on sustainable roadway project– Allow for sustainability innovation because it is end-result

oriented

26

Where do we go from here?• Fully develop each item• Calibrate rating system• Get industry/agency participation

See on Pavement Interactivehttp://pavementinteractive.org/index.php?title=UW:Green_Roads