Greenroads Manual v1.

Materials & Resources

REGIONAL MATERIALS
MR-5

GOAL
Promoteuseoflocallysourcedmaterialstoreduceimpactsfromtransportation
emissions,reducefuelcosts,andsupportlocaleconomies.

1-5 POINTS

CREDIT REQUIREMENTS
Makeanitemizedlistofallmaterials,parts,componentsandproductsintendedfor
permanentinstallationontheprojectincludingweights,totalcosts,shippingcosts,and
locationofpurchaseand/orsourceofthesematerials.Usingaspreadsheetortableis
recommendedfordocumentationofthiscredit.Showthatyourprojectmeetsthe
requirementsofOption1orOption2below.
Option1.Chooselocalmaterialsandproductsuppliers.
Computethetotalcostofallmaterials,parts,componentsandproductsusedfor
projectconstructionincludingallshippingandtransportcostsbasedontheprojectbid
list.Computethepercentageofthistotalcostthathasbeenpaidtomaterials
suppliers,processors,distributorsandproducerswithina50mileradiusofthe
geographiccenteroftheproject.Pointsareawardedaccordingtotheminimum
percentagesshowninTableMR5.1.
Option2.Minimizetraveldistanceforprojectconstructionmaterials.
Disaggregateeachmaterial,part,componentorproductintoitsbasicmaterialsby
weightandexpressasapercentageofthesumoftheseweights.Computethe
cumulativefronthauldistancetraveledforeachbasicmaterialfrompointoforiginto
thefinalendpointontheproject.Notethisdistanceincludesallintermediarypoints,
suchasassemblyordistribution,betweentheoriginalsourceandthefinalplacement
ontheproject.Reportthetotaldistanceintermsoftotalfreightmiles(road,air,railor
barge)traveledforeachbasicmaterial.Showthatatleast95%ofthesebasicmaterials
byweighthavetraveledlessthanthemaximumhauldistancesshowninTableMR5.1.
TableMR5.1:PointScale*
CreditMR5Points
1
2
3
4
5
Option1by%oftotalcost
60
75
84
90
95
Option2bymaximumfronthauldistance(miles) 500 337.5 225 150 100
Bothoptionsassumeexponentialdifficultyassociatedwithachievingthiscredit.

Details
Abasicmaterialusedintheprojectmayinclude(butisnotlimitedto):anyandall
binders(asphalt,cementproducts,etc.),aggregate,baseandsubbaseor
embankmentmaterials,metal,finishedplasticandwoodorwholecomponents
assembledwiththesematerials.Theruleofthumbfordeterminingbasicisthatit
cannotbetakenapartwithoutchangingthechemicalcompositionofthematerial
componentitself.Forexample,typicalnewasphaltpavementismadeoftwobasic
materials:rocksandanasphaltbinder.However,existingasphaltpavementisa
basicmaterialwhenusedasrecycledasphaltpavement(RAP).Thisisbecauseitis
difficulttoseparatetheasphaltbinderfromtherocks.
Generally,theoriginorsourceofabasicmaterialmeanswhereitcameoutof
theEarthorwasinitiallyfabricated.Fronthaulmeanstravelingfromtheoriginof

MR-5

Regional Materials

RELATED CREDITS
PR2LifecycleCost
Analysis
MR1Lifecycle
Assessment
MR2Pavement
Reuse
MR3Earthwork
Balance
MR4Recycled
Materials

SUSTAINABILITY
COMPONENTS

Ecology
Equity
Economy
Extent

BENEFITS
ReducesFossilFuel
Use
ReducesAir
Emissions
ReducesGreenhouse
Gases
ImprovesLocal
Economies
ReducesFirstCosts
ReducesLifecycle
Costs

Materials & Resources

Greenroads Manual v1.5

thebasicmaterialandanyoftheplacesithastraveledonitswaytothefinaldestinationintheproject.This
includesanymaterialthatissourcedatthesiteandtakenoffsiteforreprocessing,suchasrecycling,laterto
returnatthesiteinadifferentform.Bycontrast,thetermbackhaulistypicallyusedtodescribematerials
takenawayfromthesite,usuallydestinedforlandfill,butsometimesisjustanemptytruckreturningtoits
pointoforiginforanotherload.Thedistancetraveledbyemptiedvehiclesleavingthesite(backhaul)neednot
beconsideredforpurposesofthiscredit.Also,wastematerialsnotintendedforreuseorrecyclingonthe
project(i.e.theyaretransportedoffsiteanddonotcomeback)neednotbeincludedincalculations.Materials
thatqualifyforcreditMR2PavementReusemaynotbecountedtowardthiscredit.However,recycled
materialsthatoriginatefromtheprojectsiteandaretransportedoffsiteforreprocessingbeforebeing
returnedtothesiteareconsidered.Besuretotrackweightsofanyaddedorlostmaterialsduringsucha
recyclingprocess.
Twooptionsareavailableforthiscreditandprojectsmayelecttodemonstrateeitherofthem,whicheveris
mostbeneficial.Notethata50mileradiushasa100milediameter,sothehighestpotentialpointsavailablein
bothOptionsareessentiallyconsistent.Also,mostpavementandstructuralmaterialsarehighinweight,and
constitutethemajorityofmostroadwayprojectmaterialsbycost.However,mosthighvalueitems,suchas
binders,maynotbeaseasilylocallysourced,andrepresentalimitedamountofthetotalmaterialweight.In
somecases,bothOptionsmayearnthesamenumberofpoints,butinmostcasesonewillgoverndepending
ontheprojectlocation.Also,dependingonthelocationandthetypesofmaterialsusedontheproject,one
optionmaybesubstantiallyeasiertodocumentandtrackthantheother.Option1,forexample,addresses
wheretheprojectmoneyformaterialsactuallygoes.Forlargeprojectsthismaybealesscomplexapproach
andsimplyrequirestrackingmaterialcostsaccordingtotheprojectbidlistandpickinganearbymaterials
contractor.Ontheotherhand,Option2forthiscreditintendstominimizethetotaltransportation(and
thereforefuelcosts,energyandemissions)associatedwithtransportationofmaterialstothesite.Thismaybe
easierforsmallerprojectswithlimitedcomplexityofmaterials,orforprojectsthatarenotnearurbancenters.
Forconsistencybetweenallprojects,mapandcomputehauldistancesusingtheGoogleMapstool
(http://maps.google.com).Forproductsthatareshippedbyair,barge,orrail,useweightsanddistances
reportedbyshippingagencyororganization.

DOCUMENTATION
Option1
Aspreadsheetincludinganitemizedlistofallpurchasedbasicmaterialsusedontheprojectandthebilling
addressofthesourceforeach.
Acomputationofthetotalpercentageofbasicmaterialssourcedwithina50mileradiusoftheproject.
Amapshowingthegeographiccenter(inlatitudeandlongitude)oftheproject.Thismay,inmanycases,bea
milepostorstation.Themapmustshow:
Thenameandlocationoftheproject.
Thegeographiccenteroftheproject.Showthelatitudeandlongitudeormilemarker.
Aclearlydrawncirclewitharadiusof50milesdrawntoscale.
Ascale.
Labelsoriconsforeachbasicmaterialwithabillingaddressthatlieswithinthe50mileradius.
Option2
Aspreadsheetshowing:
Thenameandlocationoftheproject.
Anitemizedlistofeachbasicmaterialanditsweight.
Cumulativefronthauldistanceforeachbasicmaterial.
Alistofthelocationsthatthebasicmaterialvisitedduringfronthaul.
Acomputationshowing95%ofthetotalmaterialweightmeetsthemaximumhauldistancerequirementsto
qualifyforpointsinTableMR5.1.Fuelreceipts,mixtickets,dumptickets,andsimilarsupportingdocuments
mayberequestedtoverifyspreadsheetcalculations.

Regional Materials

MR-5

Greenroads Manual v1.5

Materials & Resources

APPROACHES & STRATEGIES

Establishadocumentationpipelineformaterialsextractionandfabricationbeforeconstructionstarts.
Ensurethatalocalmaterialsclauseiswrittenintothespecialprovisionsintheconstructioncontract.
Makesurethattheprojecthaslocalcontractorsthatcanperformthework.
Example: Option 1 Calculation New Roadway in Suburban Neighborhood
Asmallnewroadisbeingconstructedinasuburbanneighborhooddevelopment.TheHMAaggregateismined
atthelocationoftheasphaltplant,whichis35milesawayfromtheproject.Theasphaltbinderissourcedfrom
anoutoftownsupplierthatislocated220milesawayfromtheprojectsite,andthemarkingpaintwasshipped
from86milesnorthofthegeographiccenteroftheproject.Noelectricalorstormwaterinfrastructure
materialsareincludedinthescopeofwork,becausetheseutilitiesarealreadyinplace.
Thebidlistcostsforallmaterialcomponentsorproductsontheprojectare:

HMAAggregate

Asphalt

AggregateBase

21,200
25
$7.50
$159,000

896
220
$100
$89,600

17,300
25
$7.50
$129,750

Weight(ton)
Distance(mi)
UnitCost($/ton)
TotalCost($)withshipping

Paintfor
Markings
0.21
86
$153,377
$32,080

Thetotalcostformaterialsis$410,430.Thetotalcostoftheitemsthatoriginatefromwithina50mileradius
ofthegeographiccenteroftheproject(theHMAaggregateandaggregatebase)is$288,750.Thisequatesto
70.3%ofthematerialsbycostbeinglocatedwithina50mileradius,whichwouldallot1pointtotheproject.
Example: Option 2 Calculation Rural Overlay with Stormwater Treatment
Anewprojecttooverlaytwomilesofaruralcountyroadwillbeoccurringinthenextfewmonths.Stormwater
istobetreatedinlinearditchesalongtheroadwayusingcompostamendedsoilprovidedfromafarmerwhose
plotisapproximately120milesfromtheproject,whereitisproducedandmixed.TheHMAaggregatesare
beingtruckedintoamobileplantlocated45milesfromthequarryand35milesfromtheproject.Theasphalt
binderisbeingtruckedviatankerfromthenearestrefinerywhichislocated295milesawaytothemobile
plant.Paintformarkingsisprovidedfromthenearestcitycenterwhichis410mileswestoftheproject.

Weight(ton)
Distance(mi)
%ofTotalWeight

Aggregate
forHMA
5,200
45
85.6%

Asphalt
Binder
200
295
3.3%

HMA

Compost

Soil

35
88.9%

350
0
5.8%

325
0
5.3%

Compost
AmendedSoil

120
11.1%

Paintfor
Markings
0.25
410
0.0%

Thetotaldistancetravelledbytheaggregatefromsourcetoplanttoprojectsite(fronthaulonly)is80miles
andthismaterialaccountsfor85.6%ofthetotalweightofmaterialsforthisoverlay.However,sincethisisless
than95%ofthetotalweightofmaterials,thecriticalmaterialcomponentisactuallythecompostamended
soil.Thetotaldistancetraveledbythecompostamendedsoilis120miles,meaningthat96.7%ofthetotal
materialsbyweighthavetraveled120milesorlessfrompointoforigintotheprojectsite.Thisqualifiesthe
projectfor4pointsaccordingtotableMR5.1.
Forthisexample,notethatthetotaldistancetravelledbytheasphaltbinderfromsourcetoplanttoproject
siteis330miles,butthisonlyaccountsfor3.3%ofthetotalweightofmaterials.Thepaintmaterialsalsodid
notcontributemeasurablytothetotalweightofmaterialstransportedtothesite.Theseproductsarelikelyto
havehighunitcost,makingitunlikelytheprojectwouldscoreashighlyaccordingtotheOption1method.

MR-5

Regional Materials

Materials & Resources

Greenroads Manual v1.5

Example: Case Study - I-5 James to Olive Project (Mixed Pavement)

TheI5JamestoOliveprojectwasconstructedindowntownSeattlein2005.Thisprojectconsistedof
constructing2milesof13inchconcretepavementover3inchesofHMA.TheHMAwassuppliedapproximately
30milesfromthejobsitebyroad.AggregatesforHMAwereminedatthebatchplantlocation.Steelwas
suppliedfromalocalsupplierthatwasapproximately35milesfromthejobsite.Portlandcementconcrete
aggregateswerequarriedwithinaradialdistanceof30milesfromtheproject,butweretrucked25milestoa
concretebatchplantlocated12milesfromtheprojectbyroad.Asphaltwastruckedfromoutoftown150
milesawaytotheHMAplant.Portlandcementconcreteandgroundgranulatedblastfurnaceslag(GGBFS)
wereproduced5milesfromtheconcretebatchplantandina10mileradiusfromtheprojectsite.
ForOption1thematerialscostbreakdownwouldlooklike:
MaterialorComponent
Weight(ton)
RadialDistance(mi)
CostofMaterials($/ton)
Cost

Aggregate
forHMA
2,400
30
7.50
$18,000

Asphalt
Binder
100
150
100.00
$10,000

Aggregate
forPCC
7800
30
7.50
$58,500

Cement
Binder
3250
10
50.00
$162,500

GGBFS

Steel

1950
10
30.00
$58,500

35
35
650.00
$22,750

Thetotalcostforthesematerialswas$330,250.Thetotalcostofmaterialsthatwerelocatedwithin50miles
was$320,250whichamountsto96%ofthematerialscost.Thiswouldscore5pointstowardsthiscredit.
ForOption2thematerialsbreakdownwouldlooklike:
HMA
Materialor
Aggregate
Component
Weight(ton)
2400
TravelDistance(mi)
30
TotalWeight(ton)

Asphalt
Binder
100
180

HMA
2500
30
2500

Aggregate Cement
forPCC
Binder
7800
3250
37
17

GGBFS

PCC

Steel

1950
17

1,000
12
13000

35
35
35

Thetotalweightofthematerialsis15,535tons.Theasphaltbinder,whichtraveledfarthest(180milesfrom
sourcetoplanttoprojectsite),accountsfor0.6%ofthetotalweightofpavementassemblymaterials.The
remaining99.3%ofmaterialstraveledlessthan100milestotheirfinaldestinationonsite.Thismethodwould
alsoscore5points.
Example: Case Study - Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station, Mountlake Terrace, WA
TheMountlakeTerraceFreewayStationprojectbeganconstructioninMay2009toprovideI5medianaccess
totherecentlyconstructedMountlakeTerraceTransitCenter.Currently,busesmustmergeacrossI5toexit
andusesurfacestreetstoreachthetransitcenter.Thefreewaystationwillallowbusestoloadandunload
riderswithoutstrayingfromtheHOVlanes.Thecoveredfreewaystationwillconnecttothetransitcenter
throughapedestrianbridge,andisdesignedtoincreasebusspeedandreliability.Theroadwayprojectconsists
ofundergroundutilityworkforinfrastructureimprovements,soundwalls,andalsostandardpavements.
Option1isusedtocomputethepointsforthisproject.Thecomputationisshowninthetableonthefollowing
page.Theprojectqualifiesfor4points,with94%ofmaterialsbycostbeingsourcedfromwithina50mile
radiusoftheprojectsite.

Regional Materials

MR-5

Greenroads Manual v1.5

Materialsand
Components
Conc.Class4000for
retainingwall
HMACl1/2inPG6422
Conc.Class4000for
station
St.Reinf.Barfor
retainingwall
PrestressedConc.
GirderW74G
CrushedSurfacingBase
Course
GravelBackfillforWall
QuarrySpalls
36inClV.Reinf.Conc.
StormSewerPipe
36inDuctileIron
StormSewerPipe
24inCorrugated
PolyethyleneCulv.Pipe
ProfiledPlasticWide
LaneLine
CementConc.
Pavement

Materials & Resources

Quant. Unit

Unit
Cost($)

Total($)

%ofTotal
Cost

Origin

Miles Within50
toSite miles?

2800 cy

576

1,612,800

30.5 Seattle

15520 ton

83

1,288,160

24.4

1407 cy

706

993,342

18.8 Seattle

20 Yes

229970 lb

229,970

4.4 Seattle

18 Yes

663 lf

285

188,955

3.6 Spokane

299 No

7060 ton

25

176,500

3.3 Monroe

26 Yes

6060 cy

29

175,740

3.3 Monroe

26 Yes

8686 ton

20

173,720

3.3 Monroe

26 Yes

1149 lf

113

129,837

2.5 Spokane

299 No

456 lf

210

95,760

1.8 Marysville

21 Yes

2291 lf

41

93,931

1.8 Edmonds

2 Yes

16040 lf

64,160

1.2 Edmonds

2 Yes

287

63,427

1.2 Seattle

221 cy

TotalCost $5,286,302

Bremerto
n

20 Yes
38 Yes

17 Yes

%byCostin50mileRadius:

94.0%

POTENTIAL ISSUES
1. Aswritten,thiscreditcurrentlydoesnotincludecontributionfrombackhauldistancesofemptiedvehicles
becausetheycarryzeromaterials.Additionally,thereishighvariabilityinvehiclesusedfortransportwhich
makestrackingdistances(inameaningfulway)travelledbasedongasmileageorengineefficiencyquite
tedious.ThesetwoissuesmaybeaddressedmorecomprehensivelybypursuingtheMR1LifeCycle
Assessmentcredit.
2. Aswritten,thiscreditcurrentlydoesnottrackwasteproductsleavingthesite.Thisvalueofsuchanactivitycan
beaddressedintheCustomCreditscategory.However,materialgatheredonsiteandtakenoffsitefor
reprocessing(e.g.fillmaterial,recycledasphaltpavementfrommillingwaste,etc.)needstobeconsideredand
hasbeennoted.Thisrecyclingactivityassumestheinitialproductionstageoccursatthesite,goesthrough
additionalproductionattheprocessingfacility,andislaterconstructedbackatthesiteinadifferentform.
3. Aswritten,thiscreditdoesnotrequireprojectstoincludedistancestraveledfromtheextractionsitesofraw
materialsusedtomakebasicmaterialproductssuchasasphaltbinder(petroleumextraction).

RESEARCH
Usinglocalmaterialsonprojectscannotonlylowerthetransportationcostsoftheproject,butwillalsoreducethe
amountofemissionsassociatedwithtransportbyreducingtransportdistancesforhaulingmaterials.Thispractice
canthereforedecreasetheoverallgreenhousegasemissionsandenergyuseassociatedwithroadconstruction.
Reducinghauldistancesdecreasesemissionsandfossilfueluse.Accordingtomostlifecycleassessments
completedforpavementconstruction,transportationofmaterialsaccountsfor738%ofenergyuseand410%of
CO2emissionsontypicalroadwayprojectsmodeled(Muench&Anderson,Submitted).Thismeanstransportation

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Greenroads Manual v1.5

ofmaterialsusesabout8timestheenergyandproducestwiceasmanyCO2emissionsastheconstruction
processesfortheroad.Therefore,limitinghauldistanceshasasizableimpactonenergyandgreenhousegas
emissions,aswellasreducingemissionsofmanyotherharmfulairpollutantsfromburningfossilfuelsthatare
detrimentaltohumanhealth(Bilecetal.,2006).(SeealsoProjectRequirementPR3LifeCycleInventory).
Localeconomiesalsobenefitfromprojectsusinglocalmaterials.Usinglocalsupplierscreatesormaintainsjobs,
establishescommunityidentity(SustainableSites,2009),andoftensupportslocalsmallbusinessowners.Typically
manypavingcompaniesthatbidlargescaleroadprojectsarelocatedlessthan100milesawayfromaprojectdue
tolocalspecificationrestraintsonmaterialproperties(e.g.standardbindergradesandaggregatequality),and
becausetransportationofheavymaterialsisfuelintensiveandexpensive.Also,mostpublicworkpavingprojects
uselocalmaterialsuppliersduetothecostimplicationsofcompetitivebidding.Thatbeingsaid,usinglocal
contractorsandsupplierswillnotalwaysresultinthelowestbid.Thecostofsocialexternalitiesfortheresultant
transportationemissionsisnotnormallyincludedinabidandcanbesignificant(Bilecetal.,2006).

BoththeLeadershipinEnergyandEnvironmentalDesign(LEED)RatingSystemandtheSustainableSitesInitiative
awardcreditforminimizingtransportdistance.InLEED,theradiusthatdeterminesaregionalproductis
establishedat500milesfromthesite.LEEDhasexperiencedissueswiththeirspecificationduetoincorrectreports
ofhauldistancesduringextractionandmanufactureprovidedbycontractors.Thisislargelyacommunicationissue
betweenthecontractor,materialssupplierandtheprojectteamattemptingaLEEDcertification(DavisLangdon,
2004).ThereisalsosomedifficultyinunderstandingtheLEEDcreditcalculationrequirementsforcomputing
supplychainresponsibilitybycost:manybuildingproductsareextractedorproducedinonelocationthatmaybe
outsidetheradius,andthentheyareassembledlocally(DavisLangdon,2007).InSustainableSites(2009),the
radiusvariesdependingonthetypeofproductfrom50miles(soilsandaggregate)to500miles(forspecialty
products).Forthiscredit,a50mileradiusisusedandcalculationsaredonebyweight,becausesoiland
aggregatesrepresentthelargestpercentageofmaterialsonmostpavingprojects,aretypicallysuppliedlocallydue
tocosteffectiveness,andweightsofthesematerialsarealreadytracked.Additionally,weightofmaterialsdirectly
correspondstototalfueluseandthusbidcostforthemostcommonhaulingequipmentusedinconstruction.

GLOSSARY
Backhaul
Basicmaterial
Fronthaul
Hauldistance
Waste

Thereturntripafteragoodhasbeendelivered
Amaterialcomponentthatcannotbetakenapartwithoutchangingthe
chemicalcompositionofthematerialcomponentitself
Thetripassociatedwithdeliveryofagood
Thedistanceagoodtravelstogettothelocationofintendeduse
Unwantedmaterialproducedasaresultofconstructionactivity

REFERENCES
Bilec,Melissa;Ries,Robert;Matthews,Scott&Sharrard,Aurora.(2006).ExampleofaHybridLifeCycle
AssessmentofConstructionProcesses.ASCEJournalofInfrastructureSystems,Volume12,Issue4.pp207
215.
DavisLangdon.(2004).CostingGreen:AComprehensiveCostDatabaseandBudgetingMethodology.Availableat:
http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Resources/Cost_of_Green_Full.pdf
DavisLangdon(2007).TheCostofBeingGreenRevisited:ReexaminingthefeasibilityandCostImpactof
SustainableDesignintheLightofIncreasedMarketAdoption.Availableat:
http://www.davislangdon.com/USA/Research/

Muench,S.T.&Anderson,J.L.(n.d.).WeightingaSustainabilityPerformanceMetricforRoadways:Greenroads.
Manuscriptsubmittedforpublication.

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Materials & Resources

SustainableSitesInitiative.(2009)TheSustainableSitesInitiative:GuidelinesandPerformanceBenchmarks2009.
Availableathttp://www.sustainablesites.org/report/
UnitedStatesGreenBuildingCouncil(USGBC).(2009)LEED2009forNewConstructionandMajorRenovations
RatingSystem.Availableathttp://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=220

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Regional Materials

MR-5