Simplified Model for Road Sustainability Evaluation

With the issue of climate change high in the public agenda, the general perception of sustainability seems to have centered on environmental concerns with a focus on reducing total CO₂ emissions. As the understanding of the pillars of sustainable development (SD) improves, future infrastructure development projects could face scrutiny over the consideration of only a single criterion in sustainability evaluations. However, while maintaining a meaningful focus on environmental issues, both the economical and societal pillars can be properly addressed through the same parameters. While many studies on the implementation of sustainability parameters into construction projects are available, the process can be complex, incentivizing the creation of a simplified model. Within the construction industry, sustainability needs to be addressed throughout the project life cycle, encompassing the feasibility, design, and construction stages. A simplified theoretical model was developed to measure the scale of sustainability achieved in the chosen road design and construction methodology. The theoretical model was implemented for a test run on a new gravel road design and construction project at Blainville, Quebec, Canada. Upon successfully testing unreinforced and several geosynthetic reinforced design options to optimize the sustainability parameters, it was found that use of polymeric geocell, having a high strength and a high modulus value, yielded the most sustainable results.