Combined Life Cycle Cost Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment of Road Pavements

Abstract

Life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) are the main pillars of pavement sustainability. LCA addresses environmental impacts of a pavement structure, and LCCA addresses life cycle costs. While both techniques go hand in hand with transportation agencies’ decision making, they are usually used separately because there are no tools or methodologies that consider both under the same framework. This study introduces a LCCA add-on to a LCA tool developed by the Illinois Center for Transportation (ICT). The tool analyzes all pavement life stages, namely, construction and materials, maintenance, use and end of life. With the new add-on, the tool can calculate agency costs and user costs associated with both work zone and normal operating conditions as well as global warming potential and energy consumption. The developed tool makes the pay item framework easier to use for agencies and contractors. At the end, a case study is presented to illustrate the tool’s capabilities.