Construction Cost and Carbon Emission Assessment of a Highway Construction—A Case towards Sustainable Transportation

Wenkai Luo, Malindu Sandanayake, Guomin Zhang and Yongtao Tan
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Wenkai Luo: School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, China
Malindu Sandanayake: College of Engineering and Science, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3011, Australia
Guomin Zhang: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
Yongtao Tan: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 14, 1-20

Abstract: Due to its dynamic nature in construction, benchmarking environmental emissions of road construction projects can be a daunting task. Often stakeholders will have to prioritize the economic and environmental indicators based on the project objectives. The study presents a methodological framework to compare economic and environmental impacts to benchmark sustainable transport construction projects. Through findings, the study aims to inform focus areas and key stages of infrastructure projects to benchmark sustainable performance. Process-based emission and cost estimation models are presented with an AHP based weighting factor that enables prioritization of emissions and costs based on project scopes and objectives. Using a case study, results are represented to validate the framework and methodology. Concrete and steel are identified as the main materials that contribute to total carbon emissions, while soil and gravel are responsible for the highest costs. Electricity consumption is discovered as the major fuel type contributing to carbon emissions. Concrete and dump trucks are discovered as the top two sources of emissions and costs, respectively. Scenario analyses revealed that the choice of equipment significantly affects the project’s emissions and costs. The application of sustainable materials can significantly reduce emissions and cost. The use of the case study approach results in a lack of generalizability. However, the same methodology and process can be adopted for the sustainable benchmarking of different projects. Researchers are encouraged to investigate processes to automate sustainable benchmarking of transport infrastructure construction projects. The study is one of the first attempts to compare cost and environmental impacts using a systematic methodology of transportation infrastructure construction projects.

Keywords: sustainable; infrastructure; economic; emissions; construction activities; road construction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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