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Hecht, H R (2001) Development of major transportation projects in California, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of California, Davis.

Huang, Y (2010) Sustainable infrastructure system modeling under uncertainties and dynamics, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of California, Davis.

Lee, C Y-H (2010) A probabilistic approach to the life-cycle cost assessment of preventive maintenance strategies on flexible pavements, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of California, Davis.

Ostovar, M (2023) Environmental and social life cycle assessment (LCA) in transport infrastructure, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of California, Davis.

• Type: Thesis
• Keywords: energy consumption; sustainability; decision making; infrastructure management; infrastructure planning; life cycle; rehabilitation; retrofit; safety; case study; economic impact; economic indicator; specification; local government; interview
• ISBN/ISSN:
• URL: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2847206498
• Abstract:
  Sustainability principles aim to bring key environmental, social, and economic factors into the decision-making process. The main goal of this dissertation is to develop representative frameworks, models, and databases for transportation infrastructure in California to quantify the environmental and socio-economic impacts needed to support data-driven and integrated decision-making. This study was proposed to ponder the environmental impacts according to the life cycle of the transportation infrastructure, using reliable, up-to-date, and representative data in terms of materials, energy sources, production technologies, design methods, and transport modes.The three main parts of this doctoral research include:1. Development of a representative life cycle inventory (LCI) database for California and an appropriate life cycle assessment (LCA) model in transportation infrastructure management in the state, including i) crude oil and asphalt binder inventories and a case study, ii) an inventory for warm mix asphalt additives and a case study, and iii) an inventory and case studies for bonded concrete overlay on asphalt (BCOA);2. Evaluation of complete streets as a modern design philosophy for urban streets aiming to reach social and environmental benefits, including defining socio-economic performance measures for complete streets, developing a social life cycle assessment framework for complete streets, applying the proposed complete streets LCA framework for calculating environmental impacts, and demonstrating the use of social LCA for three complete street case studies;3. Development of a proposed strategy for integrating sustainability measures in the planning and conceptual design phase of transportation infrastructure in California using LCA methodology.Through the first part of this research study, an up-to-date and representative (regional) LCI database was developed for transportation infrastructure to quantify their environmental impacts, and an appropriate LCA was modeled in transportation infrastructure management in California for those elements for which data inventories do not yet exist. Literature reviews, surveying of the local contractors, local governments’ data, Caltrans’ data and interviews, databases such as GaBi and ecoinvent, and observations were used to collect the data. The UCPRC LCI, which is a comprehensive pavement dataset developed and calibrated for California, including a comprehensive list of materials, sources of energy, transport modes, and pavement surface treatments were also used. The electricity grid mix and other energy sources used in different life cycle stages were modified using California-specific data. Mix designs were defined based on specifications enforced by Caltrans. The three LCIs developed and the three case studies covered in this dissertation study were:1 Crude oil and asphalt binderThis part of the study aimed to quantify the environmental impacts of the production of asphalt binder used in California. The cradle-to-gate approach used for this study included the material extraction and production stages as well as the transportation of the materials up to the point of leaving the refinery's gate. A life cycle inventory dataset of crude oil and asphalt binders was developed using data from PADD 5 (Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts) and was narrowed to the refineries in California. In addition, a LCA framework development to model asphalt binder production inventory data and environmental impacts for PADD5 and California is described.2 Warm mix asphalt additives (WMAA)Warm mix asphalt (WMA) is considered a potential means for reducing energy consumption and emissions during the material and construction stages of asphalt concrete by allowing reduced mixing temperatures in the asphalt plant. This study quantifies the potential environmental impacts that occur during the material production stage of WMA. A comparative attributional LCA approach was adopted where life cycle environmental impacts from the production of WMA using different WMAAs were com ared with the conventional Hot Mix Asphalt. The framework considers the reduced natural gas use that may occur when WMA is used and the environmental impacts of the WMAA developed using proxy data.3 Bonded concrete overlay of asphalt (BCOA).BCOA is a rehabilitation alternative that consists of placing a hydraulic cement concrete overlay on an existing asphalt pavement. While the technology for thin BCOA has been common on highways and conventional roads in several U.S. states and other countries, its use has been very limited in California. As with any pavement rehabilitation, the materials and construction stages of thin BCOA result in significant environmental impacts in terms of energy use, material resource consumption, waste generation, and emissions during the life of the BCOA pavement. This study presented an LCA that quantifies the potential environmental impacts due to the material and construction stages of a BCOA pilot project implemented in a case study in California.The second segment of this research focused on complete streets as a modern design philosophy for urban streets. This study aimed to determine social and environmental benefits, define socio-economic performance measures, and develop a social life cycle assessment framework for complete streets.“Complete street” is a design concept for primarily urban streets and intersections (existing and/or new) intended to encourage active transportation by making streets safer, convenient, and more attractive. Motorized transportation and parking are also accommodated in the design concept. Performance measures have been proposed to address these goals. One gap identified in current LCA impact indicators is lack of socio-economic indicators to complement the existing environmental indicators. To address the gaps in performance metrics, this study developed a framework for LCA of complete street projects, including the development of socio-economic impact indicators that also consider equity of outcomes with regard to complete streets and the locations supporting quality of life that they connect. Another critical question addressed in this study was what social goals (economic, health, safety, etc.) should be considered and how to consider equity in performance metrics for social goals. This project laid the foundation for creating guidelines for social LCAs for complete streets.The social life cycle assessment (SLCA) framework developed in this study was based on five categories of concerns and 17 performance measures or indicators. The indicators were tested in the project and evaluated for final recommendations for use in future studies. The results were compared with the existing streets that had been configured to be vehicle-centric. The case studies were solicited in more and less advantaged neighborhoods so that the framework could also be evaluated in different contexts. The use of the CalEnviroScreen tool from the California Environmental Protection Agency was also investigated to assess the exposure of neighborhoods and their vulnerability to environmental impacts in conjunction with the performance indicators when evaluating the potential benefits for disadvantaged neighborhoods (also called priority population areas). Recommendations were made for dropping some indicators because of difficulties collecting data or interpreting the results, modifying other indicators, and adding new indicators to fill important gaps.In the last part of this research, a strategy for integrating sustainability measures in the planning phase of transportation infrastructure in California using an LCA methodology was proposed. Recommendations are made for future studies to develop an up-to-date and representative (regional) LCI database for generic road infrastructure elements in California to quantify their environmental impacts during the planning and conceptual design phases.Transport infrastructure planning and delivery is a long and complex process implemented at different levels. Transportation infrastructure is crucial to the economy and every aspect of our social lives, and environmental impacts during the life cycle stages of transport infrastructure are substantial. The first step for managing the environmental impacts of such a system is to quantify them. While increased efforts to quantify sustainability effects can be observed in recent years, quantification of the full-system and life cycle quantification following LCA principles in the planning process is in the early stages of development. This part of the dissertation (Chapter 5) aimed to identify ideas for when and how considerations of life cycle impacts following LCA principles can be integrated into the transport infrastructure planning process, what decisions should be taken, and which data should be used. LCA should be conducted to improve the ability to quantify the system, the life cycle effects of decisions, and changes in systems, without design details which usually needs in LCA for quantifying the system precisely. The proposed methodology focused on the conceptual and early design stages in which the choices should be made regarding rehabilitation, reconstruction, retrofit, or repurposing of a road corridor and its basic scope and dimension, and the corresponding choice of road elements. This study considered the use of LCA during the planning phase of transport infrastructure at the state-level and local government-level in California to fill the gaps in the quantification of environmental impacts.