January 22, 2015
New features in the Impact Estimator for Highways v2 include an enhanced composite products library module, 100 new sample projects, and updated electricity and truck transport profiles.
The Impact Estimator for Highways is a free LCA software package developed specifically for North American roadway designers.
The software allows transportation engineers and roadway designers to easily measure the environmental impact of Canadian regional roadway designs, providing environmental LCA results for the materials manufacturing, roadway construction, and maintenance life cycle stages.
Users can create custom roadway designs, or draw from a library of 144 existing designs. The software includes a large equipment and materials database and the flexibility to specify unique pavement systems and a host of user specified concrete mix designs.
The software allows for quick and easy comparisons of multiple design options over a range of expected roadway lifespans.
Version 2, available here, includes the following enhancements and updates:
- New TRACI 2.1 impact characterization methods and equivalency measures as advocated by the US EPA
- Enhanced composite products library
- New pavement vehicle interaction module based on the latest research from the Concrete Sustainability Hub at MIT
- 96 new sample projects for Montreal and Quebec City roadway designs
- Updated purchased electricity profiles
- Updated transportation by truck profiles
More detail on enhancements and updates is available here.
This release was made possible by support from the Cement Association of Canada and Athena Institute members.
Users are invited to submit case studies to be added to our sample project library. Share your case studies here.
Background information and user manuals are available here.
