RC116 JanFeb 2025 - Magazine - Page 34
TRANSPORTATION
Driving change
We see proven approaches that have both cost and environmental
bene昀椀ts struggle to get momentum. A big challenge is Canada’s
fragmented approach. With 10 provinces, three territories and over
3,500 municipalities the lack of common standards and approaches
makes it hard for companies to invest, and hard for the public sector to pool resources to monitor asphalt plants. This fragmentation
could provide a fertile ground for innovation if harnessed. In the
U.S., the Federal Highways Administration has a program called
Every Day Counts, a state-based model to accelerate the adoption
of proven innovations across the country by enabling the fast track
of newly proven approaches more widely across the country.
Common data could also help build bridges between municipal
and provincial roads and highways departments. This starts with
adoption of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for asphalt
mixtures. This measures the “cradle to grave” CO2 emissions generated in asphalt production by evaluating the “ingredients” that
have gone into the mix, the mix design method, the performance
grade of the binder, and the temperatures used to produce it. It
provides an apples-to-apples comparison of emissions that can be
used as part of the procurement process to reward investments, or
as part of wider departmental plans to drive improvements and set
targets. Many U.S. departments of transport use them, and Colorado, Oregon, and California all require them by law either just for
transparency or as part of their procurement process.
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RENEW CANADA – JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025
Providing 昀氀exibility to propose more e昀케cient approaches can be
highly impactful and unlock innovation. Alberta’s Contract Design
Change Proposal allows just that if contractors come forward with
ideas that produce the equivalent or improved 昀椀nal product and
provide other bene昀椀ts such as cost reductions or environmental
impact. This process is also common in the U.S. with their Alternative Technical Concept framework which is used in many states.
Clear direction
The 昀椀nal missing piece is a clear direction. National Highways in
the U.K. set a goal of reaching net-zero for road maintenance and
construction by 2040 and has a very robust plan laying out how
they will get there. The Netherlands has set a requirement that
all public tenders be circular by 2030 and had also set clear goals
around innovation in procurement to give o昀케cials the con昀椀dence
and direction to incorporate new approaches that have clear environmental and often cost bene昀椀ts.
There are two parts to a journey, knowing where you are currently and knowing where you want to go. Many journeys happen
by road, but for the sector in Canada we need to better understand
where we are by measuring the emissions of what we do, and also
have a clear signpost for where we ultimately want to go collectively. There are lots of leading and innovative approaches, as well
as many proven, road-tested initiatives that if adopted nationwide
could have a huge impact on cost and emissions.
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