Building new roads often significantly impacts the environment, and has historically been considered a hindrance rather than a help in reaching emission reduction, conservation and biodiversity goals. But with the news that green issues will be given priority in the landmark A417 Missing Link project, this reputation could be about to change.
In the past, we’ve looked at ways in which wildlife can be protected on the roads, the ways well-designed and maintained road markings help to reduce congestion, and their role in encouraging different kinds of travel in urban areas. We are always interested in the ways our industry is innovating to be part of a greener future.
Well-planned infrastructure developments, aided by contractors with aligned goals, will become more important as we transition from fossil fuels and create a more sustainable society. As outlined by Steve Foxley, the A417 project director at National Highways, by taking steps to care for the landscape it’s possible to ‘integrate world-class environmental practices alongside vital transport improvements.’
How is the A417 Missing Link Project Helping the Environment?
The A417 project is taking several measures to reduce its impact and protect wildlife. Perhaps the most significant is the construction of a land bridge that will accommodate the Gloucestershire Way and allow cyclists, horse riders and animals a safe way to travel over the road. This strip of chalky grassland will be planted with hedgerows and connect wildlife populations, which can become divided by major road projects.
In addition to the bridge, there are plans to create a bat underpass, install bird fencing (to keep birds out of harm’s way), rehome reptiles and Roman snails, and plant an astonishing 100,000 trees. By acting as carbon sinks, trees help to offset road emissions, while also helping to protect against soil erosion, absorbing run-off water, and clearing the air of particulate pollution.
How New Road Projects Can Reduce Their Impact & Help the Environment
Careful planning and design
The best opportunity to help protect the environment comes at the planning stage of a project. Planning well helps project managers to:
- Assess the landscape to identify whether there are any key species which might be affected, and take action to avoid this outcome.
- Ensure maximum efficiency and best use of materials by troubleshooting ahead of time and ensuring operations go smoothly.
- Design projects to use the minimum amount of land possible and reduce disturbances to the landscape.
Mitigating carbon impacts in construction
All large building projects should aim to create infrastructure in a way that increases its longevity, minimises the need for revision or repair, and uses resources with the most possible efficiency. Recycled materials, for example, can help reduce impacts in the resource-intensive process of road building, while energy-efficient equipment powered by green technology can decrease carbon footprint.
Reducing bottlenecks and idling
Building new roads offers a chance to address existing problems. Overcrowded or badly designed roads (particularly if they create bottlenecks) lead to congestion and idling, which researchers estimate wastes around 6 billion gallons of fuel annually and accounts for 30 million tons of C02 being released into the atmosphere.
Diversifying travel methods
In the UK, when we think ‘road’, we tend to think ‘car’, but this is something road building authorities are increasingly looking to change. Just like in the Missing Link project, new schemes are taking other forms of travel into account, whether that’s by building dedicated walkways or integrating cycle lanes. In cities such as London, bus lanes are also used to make sure that public transport systems run smoothly and facilitate regular, predictable services, motivating more people to opt for this, the greener option, over cars.
Supporting biodiversity
Road builders can help birds, bugs and animals by planting native trees and hedges along the edges of roads, creating wildlife corridors which act as a source of food and shelter for animals large and small. This is a more conscious application of the practice we see in rural areas of roads being lined with hedges, which has played a part in conserving species that might otherwise have become far rarer, if not endangered. Planting plenty of vegetation can also act as a sound barrier and reduce noise pollution.
Incorporating green technology and sustainable infrastructure
There are both tried and tested and completely ground-breaking green technologies that are becoming, or are on the way to becoming, part of roads in the future. Forward-facing solutions such as Vehicle-to-Grid technology give electric cars the ability to both draw from and provide electricity to the grid, while kinetic energy capture generates electricity from vehicles moving over the road surface.
Fully utilising this kind of tech may be a few decades away yet, but we are already seeing the widespread adoption of solar power on roadways, and the infrastructure needed to support electric vehicles is becoming ever more established.
Managing water responsibly
One issue presented by roads, particularly in built-up areas, is that water runs off impervious surfaces (like asphalt and paving) into rivers and drainage systems, which can mean pollutants entering the water supply and an increased likelihood of flooding: something that is becoming more of an issue every year. This could potentially be mitigated by using permeable pavements and water collection systems that allow us to treat the water before it enters the environment.
Road construction has historically been seen as far from environmentally friendly, but there are many ways in which, with careful planning and the incorporation of green practices and technology, they not only can but should be part of a more sustainable future.
