Designing High Traffic Volume Urban Motorway Pavements to Maximize Sustainability
A wide range of strategies have been put forward to curb the continuing growth of road transport emissions. One aspect of road transportation that has not received much attention is the design philosophy for road structural design. The main topic for this
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Introduction The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in late 1997 to address the problem of global warming by reducing the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. It went into effect on February 16, 2005 and as of April 2008, a total of 178 countries and other governmental entities have ratified the agreement. It is estimated that transportation is responsible for over 20% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Of this total, some 85% is from road transportation. A wide range of strategies have been put forward to curb the continuing growth in road transport emissions. These include improved vehicle efficiencies, low carbon fuels, and travel reduction. One aspect of road transportation that has not received much attention is the design philosophy for road structural design. The road design and construction industry needs to become part of the sustainability solution by proactively implementing technologies and construction practices that contribute to achieving the challenging emission reduction goals. In addition to improved asphalt technology, better construction and rehabilitation methods, and optimized pavement selection based on life-cycle thinking, more attention needs to be focused on delivering more sustainable pavements. The sustainable pavement can be defined as one that provides the best balance between economic, environmental and social considerations. In essence, this is a pavement that is safe and durable, has less maintenance demands, longer time between major rehabilitation interventions, and where life cycle costs are minimized.
M.L.J Maher Golder Associates Ireland, Naas, Co, Kildare, Ireland L. Uzarowski Golder Associates Ltd, Whitby, Ontario, Canada G. Moore City of Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada S. Rauch et al. (eds.), Highway and Urban Environment, Alliance for Global Sustainability Bookseries 17, DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-3043-6_39, © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010
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The effectively designed sustainable pavement should aim to: • • • • • • •
Minimize the use of natural resources Reduce energy and fuel consumption during construction and operations Minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions Limit pollution (air, water, earth, noise, etc.) Improve health, safety and risk prevention Ensure a high level of user comfort and safety Provide long term value for money
Historically, most municipal governments have been forced by political pressure and scarce financial resources into a short-term approach toward pavement design and management. They have also relied heavily of traditional or ‘recipe’ design methods. This has led to a cycle of acceptance of pavements that lose ride quality very quickly and need major rehabilitation every 18 to 25 years. Even the conventional life cycle cost analysis process frequently fails to fully demonstrate the folly of a short-term design philosophy when it comes to pavements. The twenty-first century realities of excessive energy consumption, dwindling natural resources, environmental impacts of construction and the importance placed b
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