Challenge will advance the use of sustainable pavements and quantify environmental impacts
As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s ongoing work to address climate change, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced $7.1 million for 25 state departments of transportation involved in FHWA’s Climate Challenge. FHWA launched the Climate Challenge Initiative earlier this year to quantify the impacts of sustainable pavements and to demonstrate ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in highway projects using sustainable construction materials. The new funding is being announced as part of the Federal Buy Clean Initiative to promote the use of American-made, lower-carbon construction materials in Federal procurement and Federally-funded projects.
“As the sector of the U.S. economy that produces the most carbon emissions, transportation must be a central arena for solutions in our fight against climate change,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Sustainable pavement may not sound glamorous, but it’s an example of the kind of creative and important work needed in this moment, and we’re proud to support innovative efforts in this field across the country.”
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The Climate Challenge Initiative is part of a department-wide effort announced during Earth Week 2022 to encourage transportation agencies and others to identify innovative ways to reduce transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge presents a unique opportunity to improve the sustainability of pavement structures and work towards net-zero emissions. It also supports the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funded Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) announced earlier this year that unlocks $6.4 billion in formula funding over five years for states and localities to develop carbon reduction strategies and to address the climate crisis.
“To achieve our goal of addressing climate change, we must encourage investment in more sustainable transportation, and the Climate Challenge Initiative is one way to do that,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “Today the Climate Challenge Initiative will provide state transportation agencies with resources to inform pavement engineering decisions that support reduced environmental impacts in highway transportation projects. This is critical in the Nation’s all-of-the-above efforts to achieve our Net Zero emissions goals.”
The Climate Challenge Initiative provides funding, training, and technical assistance to help state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other public sector stakeholders explore the use of Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Together LCAs and EPDs illustrate the environmental impacts of pavement materials and products, including quantifying greenhouse gas emissions. These standard practices can inform decisions for highway construction projects, pavement material, and design.
During this first cycle of the Climate Challenge Initiative, FHWA plans to host peer exchanges and webinars and develop case study reports to share lessons learned, outcomes, and next steps for further implementation. 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 LCAs and EPDs. More information is available at FHWA Climate Challenge – Quantifying Emissions of Sustainable Pavements.
Climate Challenge Participants and Project Description
| 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 |
*DOT = Department of Transportation
*LCA = Life Cycle Assessment
*EPD = Environmental Product Declaration
*PCR = Product Category Rules
Total Amount Awarded: $7,135,119