Eco-burden in pavement maintenance: Effects from excess traffic growth and overload

• We investigates eco-burden imposed in pavement maintenance phase.
• The influences of excess traffic growth and overload are observed.
• LCA and Eco-Indicator 99 are used to calculate the eco-burden impact.
• Both abnormal phenomena are positively correlated with eco-burden impact increases.
• Eco-burden impacts will increase faster in polynomial functions.

Road pavement is designed to support certain usage conditions. However, many abnormal usages above regulated level often happen. Excess traffic growth is considered as a factor influencing road life-performance. Overload phenomenon has also long been recognized as an unexpected force causing extreme decrease of road performance. This study investigates the eco-burden effect of road construction in its maintenance phase along with the influence of above factors in shortening road life-cycle. Because of that, life-cycle assessment (LCA) is used to calculate the eco-burden impact. Furthermore, they are two different options taken for pavement materials: hot-mix and recycled asphalt. They are compared in order to provide comprehensive investigation results for decision makers. Eco-Indicator 99 is used as the impact database in order to standardize calculation processes. Seven sections of Pantura (Pantai Utara – North Beach) road, Indonesia, are picked up to be the case studies as a basis in understanding correlation between all factors to eco-burden impact in road maintenance. This study concludes that each of excess traffic growth and overload is positively correlated with the increase of eco-burden impact. The more extreme shortening of road life-cycle, the more eco-burden will be produced, and it will increase faster in polynomial functions. By looking at previous studies which tend to focus on eco-burden in ideal condition of road life-cycle, this study throws new light on the effects of abnormal phenomena on road usage which shorten pavement life-performance as well as increase eco-burden impacts.