Develop a hybrid life cycle assessment model to evaluate transport infrastructure projects

Summary

Reduction in travel time is one of the most important benefits to society from improved highway networks. Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), important knowledge can be gained as to which products and processes contribute most to the overall environmental impacts. In evaluating transport infrastructure projects however, the saving in travel time is often structurally out of the LCA. For comparison, use of the old infrastructure or a partial modal shift to rail transport are found by some studies to have yielded savings. A recognised benefit of using LCA is the avoidance of burden shifting. Despite this, there are very few studies that explore the risk and impacts of burden shifting in the infrastructure sector. The traditional approach of LCA, which accounts for each transport mode separately, has severe limitations. It becomes increasingly clear that to evaluate the impacts of transport infrastructure project, a good LCA will need to: 1) expand boundary to include travel time, 2) integrate with an analysis of the costs and benefits and, 3) cross transport mode with prediction of demand.
This project aims to investigate the environmental effects of major transport projects from changes to infrastructure and demand. A full lifecycle analysis of a project requires an evaluation of future savings in travel time projected over a project's lifetime, as well as delay costs associated with the construction and maintenance. Due to the complexity of estimating travel time, alternative measures of valuation and its network effects need to be considered. The project will obtain data from literature and specific locations to make informed assumptions for a range of infrastructure types and operation efficiencies. Project will also demonstrate via case studies how assumptions can be validated despite the uncertainties and data constraints, in a LCA model that aims to optimize resources use and minimise emissions.

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