be-READY – REsilient roAD pavement for sustainabilitY

The Project “be-READY – REsilient roAD pavements for sustainabilitY” of Prof. Vítor Antunes has started, as published on the EEA Grant website.

The deterioration of roads is one of the biggest challenges in infrastructure management. How can we achieve sustainable pavement solutions? Have a look at the workshop being organized at OsloMet.

Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and in the context of the European Green Deal, transportation infrastructures are fundamental for global development, promoting socio-economic opportunities and enabling economies to operate more competitively and with more resilience against adverse conditions. The transportation infrastructure sector, particularly in road construction and maintenance activities, has contributed significantly to the 34% of construction and demolition waste produced, considering the total waste generated worldwide. Bituminous roads represent more than 80% of the European road network, which presently integrates around 950 billion tonnes of bituminous materials, being this a 100% recyclable material.

Pavement asset management actors have been pursuing further sustainable solutions and practices to adopt in their construction and maintenance actions. The general approach for improving sustainability consists of reducing energy consumed, emissions generated, and the amounts of virgin material used. It means implementing preventive maintenance, lowering the bituminous mixture heat and adopting other eco-friendly pavement technologies.

The objectives of the be-READY project, financially supported by the Fund for Bilateral Relations of European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, are:

1. update the existent specifications for the use of construction and demolition waste in road construction and maintenance;
2. prepare a course on sustainable road design and construction, taking into consideration different climatic conditions and extreme events (climate change and high loads);
3. evaluate the performance of recycled pavements during the life cycle by monitoring real road sections;
4. calibrate models by performing a Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) of sustainable and resilient pavement solutions considering the long-term performance of pavements and costs related to energy needs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Several activities are planned under the be-READY initiative, namely:

• A virtual kick-off meeting;
• A 5-day workshop in Oslo with hybrid participation;
• A two-week summer school on resilient pavements design for sustainability in Lisbon;
• Long-term monitoring of a test section;
• Two scientific meetings;
• A final seminar with hybrid participation;

The expected results are, among others:

• Elaboration and submission of national and European research proposals;
• Preparation of a course on sustainable road design and construction.