A sustainability rating system for roadways

Steve Muench
University of Washington
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What we mean by “sustainability”

What a Greenroad looks like

Greenroads description

Example credits

Why bother?

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What we mean by “sustainability”
 There are a lot of definitions for “sustainable” out there. Most are
incomplete. This is what we think “sustainability” means.

Sustainability is a system characteristic which refers to the

system’s capacity to support natural laws and human values.

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 There are a lot of definitions for “sustainable” out there. Most are
incomplete. This is what we think “sustainability” means.

Sustainability is a system characteristic which refers to the

system’s capacity to support natural laws and human values.

Natural laws = Ecology

Rule: Don’t break the earth
How we do this:
1. Do not take stuff out of the earth faster than it will go back in.
2. Do not produce stuff (e.g., pollution) faster than it can be
broken down and integrated back into nature.
3. Do not diminish nature’s productivity or diversity or we will
affect nature’s ability to process stuff that we create or use.

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 There are a lot of definitions for “sustainable” out there. Most are
incomplete. This is what we think “sustainability” means.

Sustainability is a system characteristic which refers to the

system’s capacity to support natural laws and human values.

Natural laws = Ecology

Rule: Don’t break the earth

Human values = equity and economy

Equity rule: Seek quality of life for all
Economy rule: Manage resources wisely
Resources = human, natural, manufactured and financial capital

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 There are a lot of definitions for “sustainable” out there. Most are
incomplete. This is what we think “sustainability” means.

Sustainability is a system characteristic which refers to the

system’s capacity to support natural laws and human values.

Sustainability can be:

•Measured
•Judged
•Managed
•Improved

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 There are a lot of definitions for “sustainable” out there. Most are
incomplete. This is what we think “sustainability” means.

Sustainability is a system characteristic which refers to the

system’s capacity to support natural laws and human values.

“Humanity has the ability to make development

sustainable to ensure that it meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.”
-UN World Commission on Environment and Development
(WECD) Report (1987) chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland
(Norway’s prime minister then) on page 24

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 Sustainability does not make much sense unless you also include 4
more items.

• Defining “sustainable” for your project

– Extent: What is the project scope (area, time, location)?
– Expectations: What are the performance expectations?

• Making “sustainability” work

– Experience: Need technical expertise to develop solutions
– Exposure: Education and public awareness

7 total components:
ecology, equity, economic
extent, expectations, experience, exposure
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  We are really just talking about being “more sustainable” than we
were. We are going for “do less bad”. The goal is “do good”.

Bad Good
Break Even Point

Use > replace Use = replace

Produce > broken down Produce = broken down
Excess = damage Excess = benefit
Change nature Integrated into nature

humans ants cherry trees

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Example drawn from ideas in McDonough and Braungart’s Cradle to Cradle (2002)
So what does a more sustainable pavement look like?
 less paving emissions
env. mgmt. sys.
art
recycled materials
long-lasting pavement

pedestrian access scenic views

local material LID stormwater

quality construction
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 less paving emissions
Scenic views

long-lasting pavement

Native vegetation

Natural cut slopes

SWPPP
Minimal footprint

LID stormwater

quality construction
local material
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 We must be careful how we define and measure pavement sustainability.
Using a standard for buildings may not be advisable.

LEED NC v2.2 Greenroads v0.96

Total points possible: 69 Total points possible: 76
Pavement points 9 Pavement points 56
possible: possible:
Fraction for 13% Fraction for pavement 74%
LEED EB v2
pavements
Total points possible: 92
Pavement points 10
possible:
Fraction for 11%
LEED Neighborhood
pavements
Development
pavement = drainage, recycled material
Total points 106
LEED numbers possible:
from Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Alliance
The Greenroads rating system
Sasobit Warm Mix Asphalt
I-90 near George, WA
23 June 2008

What is it?
Greenroads is a rating system designed to distinguish more sustainable new or
redesigned/rehabilitated roads. It awards points for approved sustainable
choices/practices and can be used to certify projects based on point value.

How does it help?

More sustainable roadways. This means more favorable ecological impact, lower
life cycle costs and better quality of life.
Quiet Pavement
SR 520 Near Bellevue, WA
14 July 2007

Greenroads is a project-oriented system.

It does not deal with planning and it does not deal with operations.

Design &
Planning Operation
Construction
 Greenroads Categories

Category Description points

Minimum requirements for a
Project Requirements 11
Greenroad
Environment & Water Stormwater, habitat, vegetation 14
Modal access, culture, aesthetics,
Access & Equity 14
safety
Construction Activities Construction equipment, quality, use 15
Material extraction, processing,
Materials & Resources 12
transport
Pavement design, material use,
Pavement Technology 11
function
Custom Credits Write your own credit for approval 10
19 Total 76
 Project Requirements (PR)
Description
NEPA Compliance Req
Pavement preservation plan Req
Environmental Maintenance Plan Req
LID Stormwater Treatment Techniques Req
Educational Outreach Req
Construction Quality Control Req
C&D Waste Management Plan Req
Life Cycle Cost Analysis Req
Life Cycle Inventory Req
Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) Req
Noise Mitigation Plan Req
Total Requirements 11
 Development can substantially change a
watershed’s hydrologic regime.

From the Starting Point: Teaching Entry Level Geoscience

In the NSF National Science Digital Library

Diagram from Massachusetts EEA

Smart Growth/Smart Energy Toolkit
 Low impact development (LID) techniques can be used to more
closely match pre-development hydrologic conditions.

• Bioretention cells • Pollution prevention

• Bioslopes
• Catch basin controls
• Gutter filters
• Infiltration trenches/strips
• Permeable pavement
• Surface sand filter
• Soil amendments
• Swales
• Vegetation/landscaping

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 Example PR Requirement

LID Techniques for Stormwater REQ

The project shall select LID measures that reduce the average
annual post development runoff volume from the project right of
way by at least 50% from conventional design using any of the
following:

Minimizing impact to existing undisturbed soil and vegetation

through avoidance (e.g. lane widths, shoulder widths, slopes)

Permeable hard surfaces instead of conventional impervious

surfaces.

Amended/engineered soils instead of conventional compacted soils

Dispersed and infiltration‐based practices (e.g. dispersion,

23 bioretention) instead of enclosed drainage systems
Materials & Resources (MR)
Description points
Life Cycle Assessment: Enhanced 2
Native Soil Rehabilitation 1
Pavement Reuse 2
Recycled Content 1-4
Regionally Provided Material 1-2
Energy Efficiency 1
Total Points Available 12
 We have done well recycling hot mix asphalt and portland
cement concrete as part of road construction.

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Waste in Washington State
Asphalt and Concrete Recycled 1999 to 2004
Landfilled
16
Other Diverted Waste
14 Diverted HMA and PCC

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Millions of Tons

7.91
8.12

10 7.06

6.12
8 6.08
6.58 6.23

6
5.39
5.28
4 4.23
3.63
3.46
3.15
3.02
2 30% of
2.00 1.78
2.30 diverted
1.45 1.60
0.89 1.12 waste
0
HMA/PCC recycling = 30% of diverted waste
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
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Graph from Washington State Department of Ecology data Year
 We can do better. We can reduce the amount to landfills,
and increase the amount to high-value surfacings.

Destination of Recovered HMA Destination of Recovered PCC

Landfill Landfill
20% 20%

Fill, Rip-Rap
Base Material Base Material
and Other
53% 14% 54%
HMA
27%

HMA/PCC
12%

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Data from the USGS
 Example MR Credit

Recycled Content 1-4 points

One point: Use recycled content to a minimum of 20% in the
HMA/PCC and 40% of the total material if base course, fill, or
structures are included in the project.

Two points: Use recycled content to a minimum of 30% in the

HMA/PCC and 50% of the total material if base course, fill, or
structures are included in the project.

Three points: Use recycled content to a minimum of 40% in the

HMA/PCC and 60% of the total material if base course, fill, or
structures are included in the project.

Four points: Use recycled content to a minimum of 50% in the

HMA/PCC and 70% of the total material if base course, fill, or
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structures are included in the project.
 Certification Levels

Version 0.96: 76 Total Points

23-30 points 31-38 points 39-46 points 47+ points

30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 60+%

of total of total of total of total

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Why bother?
 Why bother with a rating standard?

• More sustainable roads

• Specific benefits:
– Defines basic roadway sustainability attributes
– Greater participation in roadway sustainability
– Better evaluation of tradeoffs and decisions
– Provide means for sustainability assessment
– Allows innovation because it is end-result oriented
– Confer marketable recognition on projects

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 What makes a roadway more or less sustainable and how do you
translate these qualities into actionable items?

A Convenient List
• Researched and backed
with empirical evidence

• Weighted based on impact

• Each item is directly

actionable on a project level

• Each item referenced to

sustainability components

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 If improving sustainability is an agency/company goal, how do
you assess your performance?

Some examples from LEED:

City of Denver: Greenprint Denver
All City construction projects over 5,000 ft2 and major
rennovations must meet LEED Silver rating level. Goal of
a 10% annual increase in green buildings.

Colorado State University

“The green university.” All new building projcts achieve a
LEED Gold rating. Received an “A” rating in buildings
from the College Sustainability Report Card.

State of Colorado
All State funded projects (over 25% state funds) shall be
built to the highest green building standard such as
LEED. Initial construction costs must be recovered in 15
years or less.

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 Why should a contractor care?
Because there is money to be made.

From the Turner Construction website:

One example… “Turner has extensive experience across
a wide variety of sustainable
construction projects, enabling us to
create a detailed databank of cost-
effective Green materials, processes and
suppliers to assist our clients. From our
experience, the costs associated with
these projects can be contained to a
level comparable to traditionally
constructed buildings.”

•80+ LEED certified projects

•120+ additional LEED registered projects
•300+ projects with Green elements
•600+ LEED Accredited Professionals
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 We need to be on the map.

Construction Market Design Market

35 Source: ENR (24 Sep 2007) Source: ENR (18 May 2008)
The Mainstreaming of Green Building (Tulacz) No Longer a Fad, Green Hits Mainstream (Tulacz and Traynor)
 Greenroads effort right now…
(16 April 2019)

• Who is developing Greenroads?

– University of Washington and CH2M HILL
• Who is funding Greenroads so far?
– TransNow (DOT Region 10 University Transportation Center)
– State Pavement Technology Consortium (WA, CA, MN, TX)
– Federal Lands Highway Division (FLHD)
• What is the status right now?
– Version 0.96 now
– Online: www.greenroads.us
• When can it be used?
– We want comments and pilot projects NOW
– Let us know via the website (www.greenroads.us)
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Sustainability is the next great game in transportation.
The game becomes serious when you keep score.

Greenroads keeps score.