Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment

Galatioto, Fabio, Huang, Yue, Parry, Tony, Bird, Roger and Bell, Margaret (2015) Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 36 . pp. 65-75. ISSN 1879-2340

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Abstract

This paper uses a case study of a UK inter-urban road, to explore the impact of extending the system boundary of road pavement life cycle assessment (LCA) to include increased traffic emissions due to delays during maintenance. Some previous studies have attempted this but have been limited to hypothetical scenarios or simplified traffic modelling, with no validation or sensitivity analysis. In this study, micro-simulation modelling of traffic was used to estimate emissions caused by delays at road works, for several traffic management options. The emissions were compared to those created by the maintenance operation, estimated using an LCA model. In this case study, the extra traffic emissions caused by delays at road works are relatively small, compared to those from the maintenance process, except for hydrocarbon emissions. However, they are generally close to, or above, the materiality threshold recommended in PAS2050 for estimating carbon footprints, and reach 5–10% when traffic flow levels are increased (hypothetically) or when traffic management is imposed outside times of lowest traffic flow. It is recommended, therefore, that emissions due to traffic disruption at road works should be included within the system boundary of road pavement LCA and carbon footprint studies and should be considered in developing guidelines for environmental product declarations of road pavement maintenance products and services.

Item Type: Article
RIS ID: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/750892
Keywords: Life cycle assessment, System boundary expansion, Road works, Microsimulation, Pollutant emissions, Sensitivity analysis
Schools/Departments: University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Engineering > Department of Civil Engineering
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2015.02.007
Depositing User: Eprints, Support
Date Deposited: 07 Aug 2017 10:19
Last Modified: 04 May 2020 17:07
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/44714

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