Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment
This paper uses a case study of a UK inter-urban road, to explore the impact of extending the system boundary of road pavement life cycle assessment (LCA) to include increased traffic emissions due to delays during maintenance. Some previous studies have attempted this but have been limited to hypot...
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| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2015
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44714/ |
| _version_ | 1848796981462302720 |
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| author | Galatioto, Fabio Huang, Yue Parry, Tony Bird, Roger Bell, Margaret |
| author_facet | Galatioto, Fabio Huang, Yue Parry, Tony Bird, Roger Bell, Margaret |
| author_sort | Galatioto, Fabio |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper uses a case study of a UK inter-urban road, to explore the impact of extending the system boundary of road pavement life cycle assessment (LCA) to include increased traffic emissions due to delays during maintenance. Some previous studies have attempted this but have been limited to hypothetical scenarios or simplified traffic modelling, with no validation or sensitivity analysis. In this study, micro-simulation modelling of traffic was used to estimate emissions caused by delays at road works, for several traffic management options. The emissions were compared to those created by the maintenance operation, estimated using an LCA model. In this case study, the extra traffic emissions caused by delays at road works are relatively small, compared to those from the maintenance process, except for hydrocarbon emissions. However, they are generally close to, or above, the materiality threshold recommended in PAS2050 for estimating carbon footprints, and reach 5–10% when traffic flow levels are increased (hypothetically) or when traffic management is imposed outside times of lowest traffic flow. It is recommended, therefore, that emissions due to traffic disruption at road works should be included within the system boundary of road pavement LCA and carbon footprint studies and should be considered in developing guidelines for environmental product declarations of road pavement maintenance products and services. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:56:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-44714 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:56:37Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-447142020-05-04T17:07:42Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44714/ Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment Galatioto, Fabio Huang, Yue Parry, Tony Bird, Roger Bell, Margaret This paper uses a case study of a UK inter-urban road, to explore the impact of extending the system boundary of road pavement life cycle assessment (LCA) to include increased traffic emissions due to delays during maintenance. Some previous studies have attempted this but have been limited to hypothetical scenarios or simplified traffic modelling, with no validation or sensitivity analysis. In this study, micro-simulation modelling of traffic was used to estimate emissions caused by delays at road works, for several traffic management options. The emissions were compared to those created by the maintenance operation, estimated using an LCA model. In this case study, the extra traffic emissions caused by delays at road works are relatively small, compared to those from the maintenance process, except for hydrocarbon emissions. However, they are generally close to, or above, the materiality threshold recommended in PAS2050 for estimating carbon footprints, and reach 5–10% when traffic flow levels are increased (hypothetically) or when traffic management is imposed outside times of lowest traffic flow. It is recommended, therefore, that emissions due to traffic disruption at road works should be included within the system boundary of road pavement LCA and carbon footprint studies and should be considered in developing guidelines for environmental product declarations of road pavement maintenance products and services. Elsevier 2015-05-31 Article PeerReviewed Galatioto, Fabio, Huang, Yue, Parry, Tony, Bird, Roger and Bell, Margaret (2015) Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 36 . pp. 65-75. ISSN 1879-2340 Life cycle assessment System boundary expansion Road works Microsimulation Pollutant emissions Sensitivity analysis https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2015.02.007 doi:10.1016/j.trd.2015.02.007 doi:10.1016/j.trd.2015.02.007 |
| spellingShingle | Life cycle assessment System boundary expansion Road works Microsimulation Pollutant emissions Sensitivity analysis Galatioto, Fabio Huang, Yue Parry, Tony Bird, Roger Bell, Margaret Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment |
| title | Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment |
| title_full | Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment |
| title_fullStr | Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment |
| title_short | Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment |
| title_sort | traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment |
| topic | Life cycle assessment System boundary expansion Road works Microsimulation Pollutant emissions Sensitivity analysis |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44714/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44714/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44714/ |