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Environmental Impact Assessment of Transportation Infrastructure in the Life Cycle: Case Study of a Fast Track Transportation Project in China

Author

Listed:
  • Hui Li

    (School of Civil Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Quanxue Deng

    (School of Civil Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Jingxiao Zhang

    (School of Economics and Management, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Ayokunle Olubunmi Olanipekun

    (Quantity Surveying, Federal University of Technology, Akure PMB 704, Nigeria)

  • Sainan Lyu

    (Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 181 Chatham Rd. South, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
    School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Gardens Point, Brisbane Q4001, Australia)

Abstract

The transportation sector generates enormous amount of environmental emission. This study aims to assess the environmental impact of the environmental emissions in a transportation infrastructure project life cycle. Using the fast track transportation project in China as a case study, the materials used and the energy consumed over the life cycle were converted into environmental emissions. The life cycle of fast track transportation project was divided into three phases including construction, maintenance and repair, and demolition phases. Both qualitative and quantitative method were applied to explore the environmental impact of transportation project. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method was used for the development environmental impact assessment (EIA) model to analyze the contribution of each process in the transportation project life cycle. The empirical results show that the construction phase has the highest environmental impact (62.7%) in the fast track transportation project life cycle, followed by the demolition (35.8%) and maintenance phases (1.7%). Among the materials used in the fast track transportation project, steel has the highest proportion of environmental impact in the construction phase (55.5%). This indicates the enormous environmental impact of the construction phase in fast track transportation project life cycle results from the use of steel material. This study contributes to reducing environmental emissions by revealing the greatest phase of environmental impact and material-source of environmental impact over the life cycle in a transportation infrastructure project.

Suggested Citation

  • Hui Li & Quanxue Deng & Jingxiao Zhang & Ayokunle Olubunmi Olanipekun & Sainan Lyu, 2019. "Environmental Impact Assessment of Transportation Infrastructure in the Life Cycle: Case Study of a Fast Track Transportation Project in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-15, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:6:p:1015-:d:214181
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Wesam Salah Alaloul & Muhammad Altaf & Muhammad Ali Musarat & Muhammad Faisal Javed & Amir Mosavi, 2021. "Systematic Review of Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost Analysis for Pavement and a Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-38, April.
    2. Zhipeng Tang & Ziao Mei & Jialing Zou, 2021. "Does the Opening of High-Speed Railway Lines Reduce the Carbon Intensity of China’s Resource-Based Cities?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-18, July.
    3. Ademola E. Ojo & Ditimi Amassoma, 2021. "Infrastructures Development, Environmental Quality and Economic Growth in Nigeria," Journal of Infrastructure Development, India Development Foundation, vol. 13(2), pages 129-144, December.
    4. Ales Bernatik & David Rehak & Valerio Cozzani & Pavel Foltin & Jarmil Valasek & Frantisek Paulus, 2021. "Integrated Environmental Risk Assessment of Major Accidents in the Transport of Hazardous Substances," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-19, October.
    5. Shoshanna Saxe & Dena Kasraian, 2020. "Rethinking environmental LCA life stages for transport infrastructure to facilitate holistic assessment," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 24(5), pages 1031-1046, October.
    6. Jingxiao Zhang & You Ouyang & Simon P. Philbin & Xiaojing Zhao & Pablo Ballesteros‐Pérez & Hui Li, 2020. "Green dynamic capability of construction enterprises: Role of the business model and green production," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2920-2940, November.
    7. Wei, Ting & Chen, Shaoqing, 2020. "Dynamic energy and carbon footprints of urban transportation infrastructures: Differentiating between existing and newly-built assets," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).

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