Date of Award
12-2010
Degree Name
Master of Science in Engineering
Department
Civil and Construction Engineering
First Advisor
Dr. Jun-Seok Oh
Second Advisor
Dr. Osama Abudayyeh
Third Advisor
Dr. Haluk Aktan
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
Achieving sustainable highways has been a major challenge for the transportation community. The adoption of many statutory provisions and technological innovations during the last few decades has contributed to minimizing adverse environmental impacts and improving the economic and social benefits of highways. However, the improvement has been insufficient, and there have been many challenges, such as resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, deteriorating conditions, pollution, social disparity, and financial scarcity. Therefore, there is a strong need for taking a comprehensive and multidimensional approach in order to incorporate sustainability into highways.
In this thesis, a comprehensive literature review is conducted to explore the multidimensional characteristics of highway sustainability and five basic themes are established to address those characteristics. A rating tool consisting of quantifiable indicators is then developed along with a set of data needed for its application. The tool can be used for measuring sustainability performance of highways and tracking the progress.
Recommended Citation
Dhakal, Krishna Prasad, "Integration of Sustainability Measure into Highways" (2010). Masters Theses. 369.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/369