Innovative NYSDOT Proposal Wins Federal 'Climate Challenge' Prize

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The NYSDOT will get federal money for an innovation project to identify more environmentally friendly building materials used in road construction.

The NYSDOT's "Climate Challenge" proposal to evaluate the potential environmental benefits of high performance mixes used in paving and other applications has been awarded a $312,000 grant by the Federal Highway Administration, Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez announced on Friday.

Under the proposal, New York will assess the environmental effects of concrete and asphalt "performance engineered" mixes compared to the traditional mixes they will replace. The NYSDOT will evaluate the varying environmental effects of the mixes in different parts of the state.

The proposal, which was developed and is set to be administered by NYSDOT, will help identify more environmentally friendly building materials.

"New York readily answered the call for applicants under this federal 'Climate Challenge' proposal and today we can proudly say, 'Challenge Accepted,'" Dominguez said. "Thanks to Governor Hochul and our federal partners who both champion a vision for a greener future, the Department of Transportation has even more resources at its disposal to better evaluate the benefits of high performance paving materials, which in turn will help the state meet the goals set forth under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The work that we will accomplish as a result of this funding will go a long way in shaping how we construct more sustainable and resilient roads, bridges, sidewalks and shared use paths of the future."

For the studies, NYSDOT will use Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of statewide materials. Ultimately, the studies will give the department and industry representatives a better idea about how EPDs and LCAs are created and used. The information gathered will help NYSDOT better quantify the potential environmental impact of asphalt and Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) mix design changes currently being used.

In the long term, the knowledge gained from this effort is expected to help NYSDOT better assess the potential environmental impact of statewide materials-centered policy changes. In addition to gaining knowledge about EPDs and LCAs, the asphalt and PCC sections being constructed as part of the tests will provide important information about the newer performance mix designs and the potential to increase the use of recycled materials.

Officials said significant environmental benefits could be realized in the future if the higher RAP asphalt mix and PCC PEM with recycled glass as a supplementary cementitious material perform well.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Climate Challenge provides resources to help state departments of transportation or other public sector stakeholders explore the use of LCAs and EPDs as a standard practice to inform pavement material and design selection for enhancing sustainable pavement practices and quantify the emissions and impacts of those practices. The Climate Challenge is administered by FHWA’s Sustainable Pavements Program (SPP).

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