A practical tool for low-carbon road design and construction

Abstract

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act requires that public bodies ‘act in the way best calculated to deliver [Scotland's] emission reduction targets'. Transport Scotland, the infrastructure management and delivery agency of the Scottish government, commissioned Halcrow to develop a range of carbon dioxide footprinting and assessment tools known as the carbon management system (CMS). This paper presents, as a case study, the results of a recent pilot for the CMS road infrastructure projects tool to provide a transparent mechanism for reporting infrastructure project carbon dioxide emissions at construction stage. Two further case studies demonstrate how the tool informs carbon dioxide analysis and optimisation through design. These investigate the potential carbon benefits of ‘crack and seat' processes, the use of long-life pavement material and the need to carefully examine the transport implications of recycled content specifications, if the ultimate requirement is a ‘lower carbon' infrastructure solution. The case studies demonstrate the value of the CMS tools in integrating carbon considerations with civil engineering design, construction and reporting processes.