Ricerc@Sapienza

This work presents the results of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of two different types of road crosssections
(i.e. embankment and trench sections) with the objective of calculating and analysing the
environmental and human health impact related to their construction processes. The geometrical and
technical characteristics of the examined sections comply with current Italian standards for minor
highways. After analysing a base case scenario, the study evaluated the influence of several transportation

Both the construction and use of roads have a range of environmental impacts; therefore, it is important to assess the sources of their burdens to adopt correct mitigation policies. Life cycle analysis (LCA) is a useful method to obtain demonstrable, accurate and non-misleading information for decision-making experts. The study presents a "cradle to gate with options" LCA of a provincial road during 60 year-service life. Input data derive from the bill of quantity of the project and their impacts have been evaluated according to the European standard EN 15804.