The document outlines 5 big ideas for more sustainable road design: 1) Design roads to match their intended use and minimize environmental impact, 2) Reduce the carbon footprint by using less pavement materials and more recycled content, 3) Design roads to capture and filter stormwater runoff, 4) Consider long-term maintenance needs such as appropriate pavement and drainage to reduce costs, and 5) Improve life cycle costs by choosing durable materials and designing for future expansion or regulatory changes.

1. Friendly Roads:
5 Big Ideas for
Sustainability

2. Design the Road to Match its Intended Use1

3. Does the design complement the environment it serves?
Have you allowed for
residences, commercial
businesses, pedestrians
and cyclists?

4. How does the design …
� … complement the environment around it? Can you
avoid moving through ecologically-sensitive areas?
� … determine the appropriate intersection to reduce
vehicle idling?
� … encourage appropriate speeds and intended
parking?

5. Reduce the Carbon Footprint2

6. The design itself and amount of materials used matters
� Reduce the use of pavement, gravel and tar.
Extraction and transportation of these materials
create carbon.
� Increase the use of recycled materials in concrete to
reduce emissions by 10%. Consider fly ash, recycled
asphalt product and blast furnace slag.

7. Take Care with the Water Supply3

8. Design to capture water and pollutants runoff
Filter pollutants and
capture water with the use
of bioswales.
Use appropriate median
plantings to minimize
watering.

9. Reduce Long-term Maintenance4

10. Consider what’s above and below
� The right pavement for the right application matters.
� What supports the pavement matters too. Subdrains
can help keep fine-grained soils stable during periods
where shrinking and swelling, or freezing and thawing
may occur.
� Drain tiles typically cost $7 to $8 per foot and protect
the subgrade.

11. More about what’s below
Sewers and utilities should
be considered.

12. Improve Life Cycle Costs5

13. 3 questions to ask your engineering consultant
� For this application, what are the best materials for
the long haul?
� Does the design prepare for future expansion of
infrastructure and right-of-way?
� Can we adapt if regulations change?

14. We Share Ideas
I’d welcome your call.
Geoffry Blandin, Vice President
563-823-0192 g.blandin@iiwengr.com
© 2015 IIW, P.C. All Rights Reserved. Thanks SlidesCarnival for the template!