FHWA Climate Challenge - Quantifying Emissions of Sustainable Pavements
FHWA’s Climate Challenge identified more than 35 projects from 27 agencies (including 2 local agencies), providing $7.1 million to 25 state departments of transportation. FHWA Technical assistance will be provided to all the 27 agencies.
Over the next two years participants will receive training and work with various stakeholders including industry and academia to implement projects that quantify the environmental impacts of pavements using life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental product declarations (EPDs).

State |
Agency Name |
Project Description |
Funding Awarded |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama |
Alabama DOT |
Quantifying Emissions from the Production and Construction of Balanced Mix Design (BMD) Asphalt Mixtures with Recycled Materials, Warm Mix Asphalt, and Recycling Agents. |
$312,000 |
Arizona |
Arizona DOT |
Exploring Arizona DOT pavement materials and performance using LCA, PCRs, and EPDs to quantify resource use, energy, emissions and inform design selection processes. |
$280,000 |
California |
Caltrans |
Project 1: Provide Concrete, Asphalt, and/or Aggregate plants access to EPD Tool(s). Project 2: Reduced Temperature Production and Chemical Warm Mix Asphalt. Project 3: Exploring the Effects of High Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) Rejuvenated Asphalt on Pavement Performance and Greenhouse Gas Emissions using EPDs and Balanced Mix Design Principles. |
$312,000 |
Colorado |
Colorado DOT |
Continued Implementation Activities Associated with HB 1303 - Buy Clean Colorado Act, and Going Beyond Materials. |
$312,000 |
Delaware |
State of Delaware DOT |
Quantifying Carbon Emissions in Pavement Construction, Maintenance, and Preservation. |
$312,000 |
Hawaii |
State of Hawaii DOT |
Plastic Recycling Research Facility in Hawaii. |
$312,000 |
Illinois |
Illinois DOT |
Field Demonstration of Dolomite Quarry By-products Used in Local Road Construction in Illinois. |
$312,000 |
Indiana |
Indiana DOT |
EPD Benchmark Project for Indiana Pavement. |
$312,000 |
Iowa |
Iowa DOT |
Use of EPDs and LCA to quantify emissions and associated impacts of material and design decisions to enhance sustainable pavement practices in Iowa. |
$312,000 |
Louisiana |
Louisiana DOT & Development |
Sustainability through Development of Life Cycle Information Models for Pavements in Louisiana. |
$312,000 |
Maryland |
Maryland DOT MD Port Administration |
Project 1: Informed Emissions Reduction Strategies for Asphalt and Concrete Paving Projects. Project 2: Geoenvironmental and LCA of Highway Infiltration Berms Constructed with Dredged Sediments. |
$312,000 |
Minnesota |
Minnesota DOT |
Using LCA to Reduce Embodied Carbon in Pavement Infrastructure at Minnesota DOT. |
$312,000 |
Mississippi |
Mississippi DOT |
Conducting LCA for Asphalt Pavements Constructed with Cold Mixes. |
$312,000 |
Missouri |
Missouri DOT |
A Roadmap for Missouri: Assessing Needs an Implementation Framework for Incorporating EPDs. |
$312,000 |
New Jersey |
New Jersey DOT |
Project 1: Utilization of EPDs and LCA to Promote Sustainability in New Jersey’s Pavements. Project 2: Improve Sustainability of Asphalt Pavement Overlay in New Jersey. |
$204,000 |
New York |
New York State DOT |
Potential Environmental Benefit of Performance Mixes. |
$312,000 |
North Dakota |
North Dakota DOT |
NDDOT Sustainable Pavements Evaluation. |
$240,000 |
Oklahoma |
Oklahoma DOT |
Evaluating the Broader Impacts of Balanced Mix Design (BMD) and Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) Specifications and Incentives in Oklahoma through a LCA Framework. |
$283,448 |
Oregon |
State of Oregon DOT |
Project 1: Asphalt plant renewable propane proof of concept and LCA development. Project 2: The impact of declining roadway conditions on road user costs and Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Project 3: LCA Program Implementation and support. |
$312,000 |
Puerto Rico |
Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority |
Project 1: Puerto Rico Sustainability Workshop Series; A Hands-on Workshop Series on LCAs and EPDs. Project 2: Puerto Rico LCA and EPD Development Plan. |
$120,000 |
Rhode Island |
Rhode Island DOT |
Resilient Resurfacing – A Permeable Pavement Pilot. |
$312,000 |
Texas |
Texas DOT |
Developing Capacity for Whole-Life LCA. |
$312,000 |
Virginia |
Virginia DOT |
Quantifying Greener Pavements in Virginia. |
$312,000 |
West Virginia |
West Virginia DOT; Division of Highways |
Investigating Sustainable Asphalt Mix Design Solutions in West Virginia. |
$79,671 |
Washington |
Washington DOT |
Using LCA to Reduce Embodied Carbon in Pavement Infrastructure at Washington DOT. |
$312,000 |
Local Agency |
City of Seattle |
Reducing Embodied Carbon in City of Seattle Capital Projects. |
Only Technical Assistance Provided |
Local Agency |
The Port of Authority of New York and New Jersey |
Project 1: LCA Data Gaps and Refinement. Project 2: Low Carbon Asphalt Support. Project 3: Standard for Benchmarking against 2006. |
Only Technical Assistance Provided |
Total |
$7,135,119 |
DOT - Department of Transportation
LCA - Life Cycle Assessment
EPD - Environmental Product Declaration
PCR - Product Category Rules