Road Construction Impact on the Environment

By: Mustafa Mustafa

I. Introduction II.Background Environmental impacts of road construction -Impacts on soil -Impacts on air quality -Impacts on flora and fauna Recycling roads LEED and Green roads Assessment method for green roads References

I.Introduction
The first indications of constructed roads date from about 4000 BC and consist of stone paved streets at Ur (in modern-day Iraq) and timber roads preserved in a swamp in Glastonbury, England. the materials used to build these roads included stone, gravel and sand for construction. Water would be used as a binder to give some unity to the road surface. the growing demand for cheaper and stronger road pavement materials and processes that could withstand every day traffic demands led to the invention of the roads we know today, long term highways and roads are often constructed in layers, that include; sand, gravel, tar, paving bricks, asphalt or concrete.

II.Background
the awareness of environmental impacts due to design become more and more important. The construction industry has one of the highest impacts on the environment in regards to energy use, material use and waste products. Within the construction industry, infrastructure construction or roadway design is one of the largest economic and also material consuming industries. All engineers, designers, decision makers and others involved in any design and construction process make decisions which have impact on the environment. These decisions need to be taken with a higher environmental awarene

Environmental impacts of road construction

Impacts on soil:
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the best sites for road development are flat and stable, unfortunately, it also tend to be ideal for agriculture, although the affect of road construction on agricultural sites may seem minimal, but when the width of the road is multiplied by its length, the total area of land removed from production becomes significant. the immediate effect of road development on soil is the elimination of the productive capacity of the soil covered by roads, soil productivity can also be reduced from the compaction of the soil by heavy machinery. this can also cause disturbance to the ground that may impair the growth of vegetation and increasing the likelihood of erosion. A wide range of techniques have been designed to reduce the construction impact on soil, a simple technique is replanting the disturbed area immediately after disturbance not upon project completion, retaining walls are sometimes useful in some difficult areas. in some cases where its impossible to avoid damaging the soil, compensatory methods are considered to make up for the damage such as, terracing of nearby marginal farmland to make it more productive on the long term, remediation of soils whose productive capacity has been reduced during the construction phase; for example, using a subsoiler to break up hard-pan (dense layer of soil) produced by compaction with heavy equipment.

Impacts on water resources:

Large quantities of water are used during the preparation and the construction process, Temporary impacts on water quantity may be significant where road improvements pass through arid or semi-arid areas, with potential to significantly affect fish and farm production-particularly if the water used for the improvements is withdrawn during dry seasons. Roads that pass through areas with high water tables or wetlands may create a dam-like effect on surface and subsurface water flows. These effects are especially prominent where large quantities of initial material must be added to raise the road above the land surface, where new material must be added annually to keep the road elevated, or where there are water crossings. Under these circumstances, land on one side of the road can become much wetter than before the improvement, land on the opposite side drier. This may adversely effect crop production, ecosystem species composition, and road stability.

Impacts on air quality:

The main road materials that has the most significant impact on the environment are Asphalt and cement. Road asphalt contains gravel and sand mixed with asphalt cement obtained from crude oil. during the process of making asphalt, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and condensed particulates. Also, arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, and cadmium are toxic air pollutants are emitted from asphalt plants. these toxic chemicals can cause birth defects, and cause harmful effects on skin, body fluids, and the immune system. Cement manufacturing releases CO2 in the atmosphere both directly when calcium carbonate 2

is heated, producing lime and carbon dioxide, and also indirectly through the use of energy if its production involves the emission of CO2. The cement industry is the second largest CO2 emitting industry behind power Generation.,To produce a tonne of cement uses approximately 1.5 tonnes of raw materials, 0.3 tonnes of air and 6 gigajoules of fuel ; and releases 0.94 tonnes of carbon dioxide. the use of alternative raw materials such as fly ash, dust and gypsum from power generation as a cost effective way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The availability of fly ash from coalfired power production is estimated to grow until 2020.

Impacts on flora and fauna:

Pollution from roads begins with construction. An immediate impact is noise from construction equipment, and noise remains a problem along highways with heavy traffic. Animals respond to noise pollution by altering activity patterns, and with an increase in heart rate and production of stress hormones. Sometimes animals become habituated to increased noise levels, and apparently resume normal activity. But birds and other wildlife that communicate by auditory signals may be at a disadvantage near roads. Highway noise can also disrupt territory establishment and defence. The maintenance of roads and roadsides also introduces a variety of pollutants into roadside ecosystems, for example, waste oil is sprayed on dirt roads for maintenance reasons, Only about 1% of this oil remains in the top inch of a road surface. Much of it reaches water bodies, where it coats the surface, limiting oxygen exchange and sunlight penetration and having toxic effects on aquatic organisms.

Recycling roads
highway construction projects utilize natural rock materials: aggregate, crushed rock, base course, sand and gravel. All of these materials can be fully or partially replaced with recycled materials. In addition, ingredients in asphalt can be partially substituted with recycled materials. at a time where virgin material costs are at record highs and are forecast to rise even higher. recycling of asphalt for surface rehabilitation is an option to consider rehabilitation is generally best combined with adding some virgin base aggregate and/or a liquid asphalt additive to add structural strength in the roadway. although it is more difficult to control and it is more weather sensitive during construction than overlay. but the cost will be significantly reduced and it would be suitableto maintain a road system with a small budgets.

LEED and Green roads

the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to provide a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction (called the LEED Green Building Rating System). The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) administers project certification under the LEED Green Building Rating System. GBCI also administers the program under which individuals can become LEED-credentialed. Green Roads is a rating system designed to distinguish high-performance sustainable new or redesigned/rehabilitated roads. It awards credits for approved sustainable choices/practices and can be used to certify projects based on point value, such as: - Reduce impacts due to design choices including the road alignment. - Reduce impacts from material extraction, processing and transport. - Improve human and wildlife health. - Reduce impacts from construction activities. - Encourage innovation in design

Assessment method for green roads

- One credit: Use recycled content to a minimum of 20% in the HMA/PCC and 40% of the total material in the structure if base course is included in the project. - Two credits: Use recycled content to a minimum of 30% in the HMA/PCC and 50% of the total material in the structure if base course is included in the project. - Three credits: Use recycled content to a minimum of 40% in the HMA/PCC and 60% of the total material in the structure if base course is included in the project. - Four credits: Use recycled content to a minimum of 50% in the HMA/PCC and 70% of the total material in the structure if base course is included in the project.