Public pavement network owners can play a role in reducing climate change and other environmental impacts. At the same time, providing safety for the public and those involved in the pavement industry, staying financially sustainable, and ensuring expected performance of pavement infrastructure are critical for local and state governments. There are many "feel good" decisions that are being proposed for pavement and other civil infrastructure materials and processes. However, on further analysis, some of them may actually increase environmental impacts. There are also many decisions that can be made that appear to reduce costs but may actually increase them.
Policymaker and technical decision-makers currently do not have clear and consistent methods for identifying and prioritizing what new approaches to use. Policy mandates and technical decisions that are made without consideration of the complete life cycle of the pavement, the full system of interactions between pavement design, materials, construction, use, maintenance, rehabilitation, and end-of-life (EOL), and interactions with other systems can be ineffective or have unintended negative consequences that result in increased costs, with little change or even negative environmental effects.
The white paper will concisely summarize a framework and practical steps for reviewing and comparing policies and technical decisions regarding pavement. The intended audience includes policymakers and those supporting policy development, as well as engineers and planners making decisions considering technical alternatives and changes in specifications and regulations intended to provide environmental benefits.