Review of methodology for life cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis of asphalt pavements

Abstract

Different approaches continue to be used to evaluate the environmental and financial impacts of road pavements throughout their life cycle. This paper aims to provide a methodological review of published studies of asphalt pavement Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) and make recommendations for future studies. The results indicate that LCA studies limitations are related to functional units (FUs), chosen life cycle phases, maintenance schedules decision, and uncertainty. In comparison, the use of LCCA is limited to assessing maintenance strategies, is largely focused on agency cost, and usually ignores the possibility of current or future uncertainty. Accordingly, it is recommended to incorporate both LCA and LCCA, define a standard set of FUs, include the complete life cycle (including for new materials), consider pavement performance predictions in determining realistic maintenance schedules, include both short- and long-term costs and environmental impacts, and emphasise on probabilistic analysis of uncertainty.