Austroads is leading the way in considering environmentally friendly options for transport infrastructure
Austroads is issuing a report to help form the basis for changes to the Guide to Road Tunnels to incorporate guidance on sustainability.
Austroads says road tunnels are an important element of transport infrastructure that requires significant resources and energy, as without zero emission technology the industry can become a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution.
“Sustainability is particularly important for road tunnels as they have a substantially higher carbon footprint than surface roads both during their construction and through their operating life,” Austroads transport infrastructure program manager Ross Guppy says.
The updates will provide owners, operators, designers and those constructing tunnels with advice on how to ensure that issues related to the social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainability are addressed throughout the life cycle of tunnels.
The changes were implemented in all four parts of the Guide to Road Tunnels and help to make the transport industry more environmentally conscious when upgrading its infrastructure.
“Our objective was to elevate sustainability to the same level in all aspects of tunnel development that safety now has,” Guppy says.
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“Commitment to practices and methods that promote the sustainability of road tunnels is necessary for alleviating the pressure they exert on scarce resources and the natural environment.”
Sustainability considerations in the report include understanding why sustainability is important, how it fits within the United Nations sustainable development goals, the rating schemes available for assessing the sustainability of a road tunnel and what the barriers to implementing sustainability in road tunnel projects are.
“The new information in the Guide may enhance the knowledge and practices associated with sustainable road tunnels,” Guppy says.
“However, the success of the desired sustainability outcomes will be determined by how it is prioritised compared to other contract requirements such as time, cost and risk.”