Individual paper (pdf - 689KB)

In 2024, the Loire-Atlantique Department is initiating a new phase of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25% by 2030 (compared to 2019) for all its activities, as an intermediate milestone before achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The maintenance of the 4,200 km road network is one of the two main sources of emissions, with 13,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emitted in 2019. The Department, [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 730KB)

The construction sector accounts for a substantial share of global carbon emissions, with road infrastructure playing a critical role representing 75% of the sector emissions. Current practices often lack systematic approaches to assess and reduce these emissions, relying on conventional materials and methods that increase carbon footprints and strain natural resources. Reducing these emissions requires [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 972KB)

A large number of projects have been launched in Morocco as part of the Ministry of Infrastructure's new strategy to develop transport infrastructure: roads, motorways, railways, airports and ports. The Ministry's new strategic guidelines include rural roads among the priority investments that complement the Kingdom's major infrastructure projects. This is reflected in the government's efforts to [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 847KB)

As climate change mitigation under the Paris Agreement becomes a global priority, there is an urgent need to accelerate decarbonization in the road infrastructure sector. Under these circumstances, various technologies contributing to GHG reduction have been developed and implemented in actual construction projects. While discussions on these technologies have primarily focused on their GHG reduction [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 649KB)

The decarbonisation of road construction and maintenance is a critical challenge in the transportation sector, requiring innovative strategies, technologies, and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This paper explores current approaches to mitigating carbon emissions throughout the lifecycle of road infrastructure, from design and construction to maintenance and monitoring. Key strategies [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 411KB)

Each year in France, road construction and maintenance require approximately 350 million tons of natural aggregates. At the same time, significant quantities of mineral waste are generated, estimated at around 240 million tons per year. Regulations on waste management have undergone several recent changes in France, aiming to reduce waste production and increase recycling. The LTECV law (2015) and [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 298KB)

The transition towards emission-friendly technologies in road and rail maintenance is highly dependent on deeper knowledge of equipment and energy requirements. A project by the Swedish Transport Administration analyzed current maintenance equipment and electricity as a possible energy source. A survey was conducted to estimate the energy needs in road maintenance activities, including construction, [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 346KB)

Since 2019 Routes de France, the federation of road contractors, set up a decarbonization road map which has been endorsed by all of the road community in France. this communication takes stock of the progress made, 4 years after its introduction, of the levers that are working and those that are still to be improved As data is an important part of these analyses, this communication also takes stock [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 2.1MB)

As part of national highway projects of Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), decarbonisation strategies aim, among other objectives, on minimizing the long-term carbon impact of built infrastructure. This includes designing elements using materials with a reduced initial carbon footprint, seeking to limit both maintenance and demolition emission while ensuring maximum service life. In that context, [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 824KB)

The decarbonisation of the transport sector and the associated transformation towards CO2-neutral drive concepts, in particular purely electric drives, also affects road maintenance services. The vehicle fleet of a road maintenance depot can be divided into three main vehicle groups: service cars for road maintenance manager, light commercial vehicles (vans) and heavy commercial vehicles, which are [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 821KB)

With South Africa’s existing water scarcity, climate variability and limited non-renewable resources, the threat of climate change seeks only to exacerbate these worsening conditions. Although many laws and legislation have been passed to transition our country towards more sustainable practices, the civil engineering industry, with its roots embedded in traditional design practices, has realized [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 743KB)

REPLACEMENT OF CONVENTIONAL STEEL WITH METAL AND SYNTHETIC FIBERS IN CONCRETE REINFORCEMENT In recent years, the use of Fibers as concrete reinforcement have had a significant boom in Colombia. However, this technique is not new in the world of construction, in reality the innovation lies in the fact that they are the first tunnels built in all of America reinforced only with fibers, managing to [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 411KB)

Achieving climate protection goals requires a significant reduction in CO? emissions across all sectors. The vehicle fleets of road maintenance operating centers must also transition to carbon-neutral propulsion technologies. Integrating electric drives and renewable energy sources can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels and sustainably lower the emissions of these facilities. Road Operations, [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 411KB)

Decarbonization in road construction and maintenance is a challenge in the transition towards sustainable infrastructure, particularly in developing countries like Colombia, where traditional methods still dominate the sector. This paper proposes an analysis of innovative strategies for decarbonization, based on studies conducted at the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada on the use of natural fibers, [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 1.1MB)

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of road infrastructure is often carried out in a partial manner, often limited to quantifying emissions from the ‘cradle’ to implementation, but excluding the various maintenance phases that enable the structure's lifespan to be maintained or even extended. A study was therefore carried out by Cerema to explore an assessment of the environmental footprint by [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 540KB)

The topic of sustainable development has been around for the past couple of decades, but its emergence within highway construction in India has been a recent development. Annual global greenhouse gases from the manufacturing of construction products and materials accounts for 11%. Globally, road transportation accounts for about 20 percent of total CO2 emissions and 74 percent of total transportation [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 996KB)

The construction and maintenance of highways are a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2019, they were the main contributor (excluding user traffic) to the carbon footprint of VINCI Autoroutes, the leading operator (4,443 km) of conceded highways in France. The company set itself the ambitious target of reducing its roadworks’ carbon intensity by 50% by 2030. This major initiative [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 650KB)

This paper presents the findings of a study and a pilot project investigating the use of timber and timber-concrete composite construction in highway infrastructure in Austria. The study, titled "Application of Timber in Road Infrastructure [1]," explored potential applications, measures to extend service life, life cycle assessments, and life cycle costs associated with timber. Based on these findings, [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 314KB)

In the context of efforts to reduce GHG emissions, asphalt production plays a major role for road construction, as most roads are built using asphalt. If the entire life cycle of the road is considered, the emissions during the construction phase are decisive for the carbon footprint of a road construction project, in addition to the long service life of the carriageway. As a rule, most GHG emissions [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 327KB)

The Gouvernement du Québec must be exemplary when it comes to contributing to the energy transition, the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the fight against climate change. To achieve this, the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (MTMD) is implementing a number of initiatives, including the Sustainable Mobility Policy – 2030, its Sustainable Development Action Plan [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 551KB)

Maintenance is a very important aspect of road user safety. It becomes crucial when it has to be carried out in winter, as road damage/potholes develop exponentially due to the effects of rain and freezing/thawing. However, especially for high-traffic roads, maintenance operations are not as easy and safe for workers, as it is often not possible to close the road section to traffic. An innovative, [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 368KB)

The UK Government has set its trajectory for net zero road transport by 2050. A significant milestone on this journey was achieved in 2021 when Amey designed the UK’s first carbon neutral road improvement project. This project, on the A590 in Cumbria, reduced carbon by up to 43% compared to traditional solutions and saved almost £3m. Early collaboration between Amey Consulting designers, Highways [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 346KB)

Today's road maintenance is mainly based on diesel-dependent vehicles, with CO2 emissions of around 68 000 tonnes per year in Sweden. The transition to emission-free winter road maintenance can be made possible through the use of hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs). ViaPM, together with Svevia, Umeå University, Trafikverket and InfraSweden 2030, has conducted a feasibility study that analysed [...]

Individual paper (pdf - 1.1MB)

Bridge engineers typically manage a carbon emissions budget of 20,000t from the output of a normal year’s design work. Their choices and practice, as part of the wider delivery chain, are therefore very important in achieving the ambitious low carbon targets set by governments and commissioning authorities. Guided by British Standards Institution document on “Carbon Management in Infrastructure [...]