Overview. Sustainability Trends Measured by the Greenroads Rating System. The Need for Sustainability in Roadways

Transcription

1 Sustainability Trends Measured by the Greenroads Rating System Jeralee Anderson, Ph.D., P.E., LEED AP Greenroads Foundation Steve Muench, Ph.D., P.E. University of Washington ASCE Orange County & LA Section Sustainability Workshop April 26, 2013 Irvine, CA Overview Research Background Overview of Greenroads Scope of research Project Collection Scoring Method Trend analysis Discussion Sustainability is a characteristic that describes a system s capacity to support natural laws and human values. 2 Road splits in 2011 Japan earthquake. Photo by LA Times. The Need for Sustainability in Roadways Roadways have substantial impacts on the environment, society and the economy. Research shows a growing interest from roadway owners and stakeholders. 1

2 Research & Owner Interest Lots of work defining sustainable transportation Majority of existing research is for strategic planning Owners are interested = funding research Some State DOTs avidly pursuing sustainability Three common types of sustainability approaches: Guidance documents like NCHRP Report 708 Compilations of performance metrics like NCHRP Report 451 Rating Systems 4 Zietsman et al, 2011; Amekudzi et al. 2005; Amekudzi, 2011; Muench et. al, 2012 Development of Greenroads Development: Began in 2007 at University of Washington Industry, local and DOT research support 5 years, over 100 people, 120+ test projects Managed by Greenroads Foundation since 2010 Independent 501(c)(3) non profit organization 5 The Greenroads Rating System Third party certification process similar to LEED Applies to new and reconstructed road projects Recognizes and quantifies roadway sustainability Awards points for sustainable practices Project based rating system Focuses on design and construction activities Provides simple way to communicate the idea of green What can I do on my project now to be more sustainable? 6 2

3 Category Structure (v1.5) Category Description Points Project Requirements Minimum requirements for a Greenroad Req. Voluntary Credits Environment & Water Stormwater, habitat, vegetation 21 Access & Equity Modal access, culture, aesthetics, safety 30 Construction Activities Construction equipment, processes, quality 14 Materials & Resources Material extraction, processing, transport 23 Pavement Technology Pavement design, material use, function 20 Total Voluntary Credit Points 108 Custom Credits Write your own credit for approval 10 TOTAL POINTS Certification Levels points points points 64+ points 8 Project Evaluation Objectives Questions: How does Greenroads measure sustainability on a project? What makes a project sustainable or not? Collect data (105 projects) 40 sustainable 65 typical Score the projects using Greenroads v1.5 Evaluate trends 9 Anderson,

4 Project Data Sources Who Provided It UW Greenroads Research Sponsors Industry data contributed by: CH2M HILL, Inc. Perteet, Inc. AECOM, USA, Inc. GeoEngineers, Inc. HNTB ARUP Parsons Brinckerhoff KPG, Inc. ISL Engineering, Inc. Student class/research projects Greenroads Foundation What It Was 1. Verbal. (88 projects). 2. Website (79 projects). 3. Public information (99 projects). 4. Site visit, maps, images (104 projects). 5. Environmental reports. (51 projects). 6. Design documents (54 projects). 7. Contractor documents (54 projects) 10 Locations * of Evaluated Projects Anderson, * This study includes only projects shown here within U.S. borders and adds 2 more projects in WA. Scoring Method Three key scores: Raw Score Intent present in documents NA Score Not appropriate for project context Economical Score Appropriate for project context and likely not to add substantial cost 12 4

5 Scoring Assumptions & Limitations No custom credits included = 108 points available Project Requirements have no weight (treated separately) Intent is acceptable for credit Multiple reviewers, some may have been more stringent Informal compared to certification Variations in data quality and quantity are present Owner s selection of featured projects Complex projects (mix of large and small) 13 Example: Presidio Parkway Phase I San Francisco, CA Owner: Caltrans et al. Project Length: ~1.5 miles 14 Photo by J. Anderson Contract Price: Functional Class: $134.8 million Principal Arterial Potential reasonable score of Silver or Gold with low effort and cost. Results Most common: PR 9 Pavement Management System (93%) AE 3 Context Sensitive Solutions (97%) Least common: PR 3 Lifecycle Inventory (8%) MR 1 Lifecycle Assessment (0%) Aggregate results: 15 5

6 Typical Practice Is Here But Practice Could Be Here 16 ID Credit Title Typical (65 Projects) Sustainable (40 Projects) Overall (105 Projects) PR 1 Environmental Review Process 74% 78% 75% PR 2 Lifecycle Cost Analysis 18% 35% 25% PR 3 Lifecycle Inventory 0% 20% 8% PR 4 Quality Control Plan 46% 35% 42% PR 5 Noise Mitigation Plan 26% 38% 30% PR 6 Waste Management Plan 9% 28% 16% PR 7 Pollution Prevention Plan 89% 90% 90% PR 8 Low Impact Development 35% 58% 44% PR 9 Pavement Management System 94% 93% 93% PR 10 Site Maintenance Plan 63% 60% 62% PR 11 Educational Outreach 28% 50% 36% Key Point: All have been tried and can be done. Trends Project Requirements (PR) 17 ID Credit Title Typical (65 Projects) Sustainable (40 Projects) Overall (105 Projects) EW 1 Environmental Management System 5% 8% 6% EW 2 Runoff Flow Control 35% 40% 37% EW 3 Runoff Quality 34% 43% 37% EW 4 Stormwater Cost Analysis 5% 10% 7% EW 5 Site Vegetation 51% 48% 50% EW 6 Habitat Restoration 5% 10% 7% EW 7 Ecological Connectivity 32% 20% 28% EW 8 Light Pollution 8% 23% 13% Key Point: Highest scoring projects tend to be those subject to sustainability mandate. Trends Environment & Water (EW) 18 6

7 ID Credit Title Typical (65 Projects) Sustainable (40 Projects) Overall (105 Projects) AE 1 Safety Audit 6% 13% 9% AE 2 Intelligent Transportation Systems 58% 53% 56% AE 3 Context Sensitive Solutions 95% 100% 97% AE 4 Traffic Emissions Reduction 29% 23% 27% AE 5 Pedestrian Access 66% 75% 70% AE 6 Bicycle Access 48% 75% 58% AE 7 Transit & HOV Access 29% 33% 30% AE 8 Scenic Views 23% 30% 26% AE 9 Cultural Outreach 42% 50% 45% Key Point: Strongest performance throughout sample = common design elements. Trends Access & Equity (AE) 19 ID Credit Title Typical (65 Projects) Sustainable (40 Projects) Overall (105 Projects) CA 1 Quality Management System 2% 10% 5% CA 2 Environmental Training 37% 25% 32% CA 3 Site Recycling Plan 5% 28% 13% CA 4 Fossil Fuel Reduction 0% 8% 3% CA 5 Equipment Emission Reduction 3% 10% 6% CA 6 Paving Emission Reduction 15% 35% 23% CA 7 Water Use Tracking 5% 18% 10% CA 8 Contractor Warranty 2% 10% 5% Key Point: Substantial opportunity for contractor contributions. Trends Construction Activities (CA) 20 ID Credit Title Typical (65 Projects) Sustainable (40 Projects) Overall (105 Projects) MR 1 Lifecycle Assessment 0% 0% 0% MR 2 Pavement Reuse 60% 55% 58% MR 3 Earthwork Balance 15% 13% 14% MR 4 Recycled Materials 35% 38% 36% MR 5 Regional Materials 55% 40% 50% MR 6 Energy Efficiency 8% 20% 12% Key Point: Still plenty of opportunities to improve materials management. Trends Materials & Resources (MR) 21 7

8 ID Credit Title Typical (65 Projects) Sustainable (40 Projects) Overall (105 Projects) PT 1 Long Life Pavement 23% 23% 23% PT 2 Permeable Pavement 2% 10% 5% PT 3 Warm Mix Asphalt 2% 10% 5% PT 4 Cool Pavement 17% 28% 21% PT 5 Quiet Pavement 2% 3% 2% PT 6 Pavement Performance Tracking 0% 3% 1% Key Point: Most limiting category, but most projects can try at least one. Trends Pavement Technologies (PT) 22 Some Highlights & Takeaways Award thresholds appear to be achievable by all projects Project Requirements can be achieved with small effort Practice falls just short of Bronze but within reach Typical projects likely already do a few Greenroads credits Some credits commonly achieved Many others may be low hanging fruit All projects show strength in modal and design elements Opportunities in construction, materials management, and going beyond environmental minimums 23 Thank you! Questions? Before After Southeast Pioneer Way Reconstruction Project City of Oak Harbor, WA 24 jeralee@greenroads.org 8