Stochastic Network-Level Pavement Life Cycle Assessment Framework Development

Network-level Life Cycle Assessment (NLCA) offers a strategic perspective for infrastructure decision-making, complementing the detailed insights provided by Project-level Life Cycle Assessment (PLCA). By aligning with state or federal objectives, NLCA broadens the scope of analysis but introduces challenges such as managing diverse pavement sections, varying construction years, and distinct jurisdictional requirements. This study presents a comprehensive NLCA framework designed to integrate with Pavement Management Systems (PMS), combining environmental considerations with established PMS priorities such as cost efficiency, service quality, and safety. The framework incorporates Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and accounts for uncertainties in maintenance and rehabilitation strategies, ensuring more resilient decision-making. By bridging environmental impact assessments with traditional pavement management objectives, the framework enables transportation agencies to adopt a holistic approach to network-level planning. A case study using the Arizona pavement network is presented to illustrate the potential use of the proposed NLCA framework.