FHWA s Sustainable Highways Self-Evaluation Tool

Transcription

1 FHWA s Sustainable Highways Self-Evaluation Tool TERRA PAVEMENT CONFERENCE Minneapolis, MN February 10, 2011 April Marchese Office of Natural Environment Federal Highway Administration

2 Sustainable Highways Tool Working Title: IN-VEST - Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool A web-based self-evaluation tool for measuring sustainability over the life cycle of a transportation project or program from system and project planning through design and construction, to operations and maintenance

3 Goals Encourage sustainable highway practices! Internal improvement! External recognition Help agencies measure sustainability and quantify tradeoffs Provide a framework for communicating with stakeholders about sustainability Establish a method for evaluating sustainable highways

4 Existing State Systems I-LAST STARS

5 What is a Sustainable Highway? Satisfies functional requirements! Fulfills transportation goals and needs (e.g. congestion reduction)! Addresses development and economic growth Reduces impacts! Environment! Consumption of resources Addresses environmental, economic, and social equity dimensions (triple bottom line) Addresses sustainability from planning through operations

6 The Triple Bottom Line

7 BETA Version of Sustainable Highways Tool Released in October 2010 The tool is not final.!still a work in progress. The tool is intended to be purely voluntary!it will not be required on any projects or programs.

8 What is Included in the Tool? Collection of best practices Repository of real-world examples where best practices have been applied Self-evaluation tool to measure sustainability

9 What are some of the Tool s characteristics? Web-based Credits based on best practices! (total of 68) Each credit assigned a point value based on expected sustainability impact In coordination with ASCE effort Other sustainable highways tools used as references! (GreenLITES, I-LAST, Greenroads)

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11 Credits are organized in 3 phases System Planning (SP)! Concerned with agency-wide management and planning of highway networks.! Typically involve the owner-agency having policies, procedures and systems in place to address them. Project Development (PD)! Concerned with the development of a specific project once the general need and proposal for a solution to a transportation problem have been programmed.! Involve environmental review, project planning, design, and construction decisions related to a specific project. Operations & Maintenance (OM)! Concerned with agency-wide practices, policies and procedures required for the overall functionality and efficiency of a highway network.

12 Three Phase Evaluation Options Evaluate 1 of 3 Phases over the Life Cycle of a Program Scores are independent by Phase! You ll get 3 different scores! Scores are not additive across the 3 phases of the life cycle! Scores between phases are not comparable (each phase has its own range) System Planning & Processes Transportation Systems Management, Operations & Maintenance Project Development

13 Achievement Levels How will success be measured? Achievement levels are included in Beta version Look similar to LEED Rating system! Bronze (base level)! Silver (level 2)! Gold (level 3)! Platinum (top level) Are designed to encourage improvement

14 How are the Credits Weighted? Grounded in studies that measure the value of our resources Based on a few key principles:! Effectiveness of the sustainability measure! Longevity of the benefit! Value of the sustainability benefit Systems-level credit scores still in development

15 How is Safety Weighted? Safety is both! the first priority of any transportation agency and! a key element of sustainability. It preserves the quality of life for future generations and assures our capacity to endure A road that is unsafe is not sustainable Safety credits given premium score

16 Project Development Credits Project Planning PD-1 Cost Benefit Analysis PD-2 Highway and Traffic Safety PD-3 Context Sensitive Solutions PD-4 Lifecycle Assessment PD-5 Lifecycle Cost Analysis PD-6 Freight Mobility PD-7 Educational Outreach

17 Project Development Credits Project Design PD-8 Habitat Restoration PD-9 Runoff Flow Control PD-10 Runoff Quality PD-11 Ecological Connectivity PD-12 Low Impact Development PD-13 Recycled Materials PD-14 Renewable Energy PD-15 Site Vegetation PD-16 Pedestrian Access PD-17 Bicycle Access PD-18 Transit & HOV Access PD-19 Historical, Archaeological, and Cultural Preservation PD-20 Scenic, Natural, or Recreational Qualities PD-21 Low-Emitting Materials PD-22 Energy Efficiency PD-23 Traffic Systems, Management and Operations (TSMO) PD-24 Long-Life Pavement PD-25 Pavement and Structure Reuse PD-26 Stormwater Cost Analysis PD-27 Thermal Pavement

18 Project Development Credits Project Construction PD-28 Contractor Warranty PD-29 Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan PD-30 Environmental Training PD-31 Equipment Emission Reduction PD-32 Fossil Fuel Reduction PD-33 Construction Noise Mitigation PD-34 Quality Control Plan PD-35 Reduced Energy Materials PD-36 Waste Management PD-37 Earthwork Balance PD-38 Environmental Management System PD-39 Tracking Environmental Commitments

19 Project Development Credit Weighting Weights based on studies related to value of resource impacts Goal is for points to be commensurate with sustainable potential Based on a few key principles:! Effectiveness of the sustainability measure! Longevity of the benefit! Value of the sustainability benefit Key objectives of weighting:! Establish practices beyond what is conventional! Encourage users to use available, current technology. Credit requirements and values must be dynamic! Match with industry growth! Align with technological advancement

20 Project Development Credit Weighting Additional Considerations Why Pavements Are Emphasized Long-life pavement Incentive-based weighting Life cycle assessment (LCA)-based weighting Noise-based weighting Urban heat Island (UHI) effects

21 PD-13 Recycled Materials Goal Points Description Reduce lifecycle impacts from extraction and production of virgin materials. 1 5 points Use recycled materials as a substitute for virgin materials.

22 PD-13 Recycled Materials Requirements Option 1: Consider only the pavement binder materials Option 2: Consider only the hot mix asphalt (HMA) or Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) pavement materials Option 3: Consider all pavement materials including granular base layers Option 4: Consider all project materials

23 Transportation System Management, Operations & Maintenance Credits OM-1 Pollution Prevention Plan OM-2 Pavement Management System OM-3 Bridge Management System OM-4 Paved Surfaces Management System OM-5 Traffic Control Infrastructure Maintenance OM-6 Cleaning and Litter OM-7 Roadside Infrastructure Maintenance OM-8 Mobility OM-9 Safety OM-10 Snow & Ice Control OM-11 Renewable Energy Use OM-12 Sustainability Plan OM-13 Alternative Fuel Fleet OM-14 Recycle and Re-use OM-15 Ecological Connectivity

24 OM-2 Pavement Management System Goal Points Description Make pavements last longer and perform better by preserving and maintaining them points The agency shall have a pavement management system (PMS). A pavement management system is a formal systematic process of preserving and rehabilitating a particular pavement or network of pavements.

25 OM-2 Pavement Management System Requirements Have a Plan (1 point)! Measure pavement condition at least every two years! Document decision criteria for timing rehabilitation! Record when rehabilitation occurs Measure Performance (3 points) Track pavement network performance using two common metrics:! Overall network condition using common metrics! Number and fraction of rehabilitation actions scheduled on time and delayed Set and Achieve Goals (6 points)! Set quantifiable goals relating to the two metrics, including when these goals are to be achieved! Monitor progress towards goals; show measureable advancement towards goals.

26 How Do I Score a Project? Identify Phase of Project Establish context of project Review credits and applicability to project Use online tool to perform self-evaluation (Score your project)

27 Illustration: Rural Highway Ecological Connectivity: Wildlife Crossing

28 Illustration #1: Rural Highway Sustainability Features Recycled Materials! Recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) 30% of the base course and 20% of the wearing course (by weight). Ecological Connectivity! Two exclusive wildlife crossing structures, fencing Roadside Infrastructure Maintenance! Maintenance shared by the Forest Service, County, State Fish and Wildlife and State DOT

29 Illustration #1: Rural Highway Scorecard Estimated Project Development Score: 43 Illustrative Achievement Level: Bronze 38-50

30 Recycled Materials Illustration #2: Urban Interstate

31 Illustration #2: Urban Interstate Sustainability Features Lifecycle Cost Analysis: Test bed for green material initiatives and innovations for pavement and bridge design Educational Outreach: Working groups to address local concerns: recycling, bioswale project, water quality research Recycled Materials: 220,000 tons of existing concrete 125,000 tons of existing HMA pavement 185,000 tires tens of thousands of tons of concrete and asphalt from outside the corridor Reduced Energy Materials: Warm mix additives used in 1,000 tons of the total HMA (800,000 tons) in a test strip.

32 Urban Interstate: Scorecard Estimated Project Development Score: 45 Achievement level: Bronze 38-50

33 Next Steps Beta version release Request help from the transportation community in testing and improving the tool Evaluate feedback Make website improvements Release revision (Version 1.0) likely next year

34 Website address FHWA Contacts for more information: April Marchese Michael Culp Connie Hill