Abstract:
With the growing awareness of sustainability and global
climate change, state highway agencies are taking essential
steps to reduce carbon emissions from highway infrastructure
on a life cycle basis. While much is known regarding climate
change mitigation and adaption strategies during highway
operation, very little is understood about how climate change
issues should be integrated into highway planning, delivery,
and construction processes. This paper presents the current
contracting practice for addressing the climate change issues.
A Green Performance Contracting (GPC) framework is defined in
this paper. Four levels of the GPC strategies are identified and
discussed, namely, material related strategies, equipment and
energy efficiency related strategies, green life-cycle strategies,
and clean energy development strategies. Furthermore, a
survey of the GPC practices of U.S. state DOTs is conducted, and
strategies addressed by different states aligned with the four
levels are also discussed. Finally, a Data Envelopment Analysis
(DEA) model is proposed together with the evaluation criteria
to assist state highway agencies in better incorporating green
and sustainability into their project delivery processes. The
evaluation criteria mainly include attributes of GHG reduction
efficiency, financial feasibility, technology readiness, risk and
uncertainty, and community and industrial acceptance.
Keywords: Green Performance
Contracting, Climate
Change, Highway
Construction
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