Front end decision making for road projects - A sustainability framework

Sustainability, when applied to road pavements, has traditionally focused on a range of sustainable initiatives that may be incorporated into a pre-determined design solution. Guidance material for the design, construction and operations of road infrastructure is provided by schemes such as Greenroads (US), CEEQUAL (UK) and the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA). These tools provide direction around the incorporation of sustainability features in road projects. However, there is limited guidance to inform the incorporation of sustainability in the ‘front end’ decision making processes that inform the selection of a design solution and the definition of scope for road projects. The decisions made within the initiating and planning phase for projects provide the greatest opportunity to optimize sustainable outcomes at a broader level, and may include consideration of policy responses or alternative options that may provide new approaches to pavement solutions. There is a need to develop guidelines for road investment decision making that better align with corporate sustainability objectives stated by infrastructure providers. A more effective decision making process should involve the incorporation of sustainability goals from corporate planning documents into the decision making process; problem definition and option generation using investment management guidelines as evidenced by “best practice” investment management processes; comprehensive analysis of project options and impacts using a range of assessment tools; and greater involvement from the public to accurately reflect community values and local knowledge that may not be documented or understood by infrastructure providers