Estimating Emissions for Highway Construction Projects

The Project Emission Estimator (PE-2) is a web-based emissions estimating tool that can be used to model and predict life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for highway construction. The tool ensures that all environmental burdens associated with each phase of a project—from materials selection to construction to maintenance—are accounted for and the most crucial impacts are identified for mitigation. In an effort to curb environmental impacts, the state of California has mandated a reduction in GHG emissions of highway construction operations, and there have been similar efforts at the federal level. With an increasingly large emphasis being placed on sustainability, it is imperative that engineers have access to even more data than what PE-2 currently offers. The International Standards Organization has developed the general principles and guidelines necessary for conducting a life cycle analysis, which has allowed PE-2 to be based on data collected directly from construction sites. Thanks to PE-2's web-based platform, the data is easily accessible and empowers decision-makers with its real-world database of emissions information. The initial prototype of PE-2 was developed using funding from the Michigan Department of Transportation. Since its introduction in 2011, PE-2 has been featured in industry magazines and publications—and has been well received in peer-reviewed literature. Additional funding is sought to further develop the tool so that contractors can customize it for use with their construction projects. This will help them securely store their construction-material and equipment data while taking advantage of the emissions data that was previously developed within the PE-2 tool—increasing both confidence in and use of the tool.