The Arizona Department of Transportation is gearing up for a study of low-carbon transportation materials after the award of a $27 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
ADOT will use the grant to develop a research program on the use of qualifying low-carbon pavement materials in future highway improvement projects. Potential projects would be identified as part of the study process over the several years.
The FHWA selected ADOT for the grant as part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act, which includes a Low-Carbon Transportation Materials Program. ADOT is one of 39 state transportation departments to recently receive grants under the federal program.
The research will allow ADOT to follow up on its experience with integrating environmentally supportive processes into highway pavement projects. That includes the use of recycled pavement material, such as reclaimed asphalt and recycled concrete pavement, on a number of projects.
ADOT’s research plan will include the creation of a steering committee to guide the planning and administration of a low-carbon materials implementation program. The agency anticipates working with representatives from FHWA, the construction industry and universities on researching low-carbon materials and any program processes to get them to a test phase.
A key goal will be to work with highway builders, including pavement plant operators and pavement contractors, to establish a process for analyzing pollution reduction, energy efficiency and the production of longer lasting pavements with low-carbon benefits.
Federal grant funding is expected to be available starting in 2025.
