Advancing Sustainable Pavements: Life Cycle Assessment and Global Warming Potential Benchmarking for Asphalt Mixtures in Louisiana

Transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Louisiana have risen significantly, yet the environmental impacts of asphalt mixture production remain underexplored. This study conducted a cradle-to-gate environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify global warming potential (GWP) for asphalt mixtures produced in Louisiana and establish GWP benchmarks tailored to mixture types. The LCA encompassed material extraction and production, transport to plants, and asphalt mixing, using two datasets: Environmental Product Declarations from the NAPA Eco-label program (21 mixtures) and Job Mix Formulas from the LaPave database at the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) (207 mixtures). GWP was evaluated using the FHWA LCA Pave tool with TRACI 2.1 factors, and benchmarks were set at the 20th, 40th, 50th percentiles, and the average. Statistical analyses assessed differences across nominal maximum aggregate sizes and traffic levels. Results showed GWP benchmarks from both datasets exceeded U.S. General Services Administration thresholds by an average of 6.5%, with significant variation among mixture types. These findings highlight the need for targeted emission reduction strategies and accurate environmental performance evaluation to promote more sustainable pavement practices and greener infrastructure in Louisiana.