ABSTRACT
This study details a new, network-level optimization tool aimed at supporting transportation agencies in their efforts to reduce the global warming potential of their road pavement infrastructure. Through a two-stage bottom-up algorithm that integrates with a comprehensive cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment, the proposed tool learns optimal management policies for individual pavement sections and uses that information to guide network-level allocation choices. Through a realistic case study based on data made available by a state department of transportation, this study demonstrates that the proposed modelling approach identifies management strategies expected to reduce the global warming potential of a pavement network by up to 4.8% over 20 years relative to a more traditional, reactive management approach. The resulting model presented in this paper can support agencies in achieving ambitious targets to reduce the global warming potential of their paved infrastructure systems.
Acknowledgments
Partial financial support for this research has been provided by TECHNATION Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Individual Discovery Grant program (RGPIN-2019-04955).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its supplementary materials.
Supplementary material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/23789689.2023.2253411
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Notes on contributors
Miguel Pampolina
Miguel Pampolina is a recent BASc graduate of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia who recently joined Parsons as an engineer-in-training.
Anuarbek Onayev
Anuarbek Onayev is an MASc graduate of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. He is now a practicing asset management consultant at WSP.
Maxime Therrien
Maxime Therrien is a BASc graduate of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. He is currently an engineer-in-training at Urban Systems.
Omar Swei
Dr. Omar Swei is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. He research centers on the sustainable management of infrastructure systems.