Expanding the road network is inevitable due to the accelerated economic growth of countries. However, the development of road infrastructure has generated considerable concern among society, governments, and environmental organizations. This concern mainly stems from the significant environmental effects and the omission of the sustainability of materials associated with road construction. Current literature suggests Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a solution to address greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of road infrastructure. This research uses the PRISMA-SCR methodology to identify strategies to mitigate environmental impact during the life cycle stages of asphalt pavements and emission-generating activities. This study identifies the critical life cycle stages responsible for the largest amount of emissions, highlighting “material extraction and production” and “transportation” as key areas of intervention. The results demonstrate how the incorporation of recycled materials (RAPs) and warm mix asphalts (WMAs) can reduce between 15% and 45% of total emissions. It is concluded that it is possible to develop asphalt pavement construction projects with a sustainability perspective, allowing not only to identify opportunities to optimize construction processes but also to establish a reference framework for transportation agencies to integrate more sustainable practices, including the reduction of emissions, the responsible use of non-renewable resources and proper waste management.

Maintaining asphalt pavements requires substantial quantities of materials and energy, which significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions in the road infrastructure sector. This study quantified the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions associated with a maintenance and rehabilitation plan for an asphalt pavement using a simplified life-cycle perspective integrated with the Highway Development and Management Model (HDM-4). The methodology combined HDM-4 to define a 35-year intervention plan (2022–2057) with CO₂e emission factors for three quantified components: material production, transportation, and construction machinery operation. The approach was applied to a 7.8 km section of the Mexicali–San Felipe highway in Baja California, Mexico. The results indicate that the intervention plan generated approximately 2483.9 t CO₂e over the 35-year analysis period. Reconstruction was the most carbon-intensive activity, accounting for 1890 t CO₂e, while milling and overlay generated 292.15 t CO₂e per direction. Material extraction and production were the dominant sources of emissions, contributing about 70% of the total emissions in milling and overlay and 60% in reconstruction; in the latter case, transportation also represented a substantial share (35%) due to long haul distances. These findings show that the proposed approach can identify the most emission-intensive activities and processes within pavement maintenance plans and provide quantitative environmental criteria to support more sustainable road management decisions.

The objective of this research was to develop and implement a tool to calculate carbon dioxide emissions generated during the use and end-of-life phases of a section of asphalt pavement, considering as a case study a section of the Mexicali–San Felipe road in Baja California, Mexico, with an analysis period of 35 years. The methodology employed consisted of applying the principles of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) established in the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards, collecting specific data such as vehicle traffic, pavement geometry and structure, and the fuel efficiency and consumption of the machinery used to remove and transport the asphalt material. The results showed that during the study period, the use phase generated approximately 147.56 tonnes of CO₂ associated with projected vehicle traffic, reflecting a cumulative impact from the continuous use of the road, while the end-of-life phase contributed 61.33 tonnes of CO₂ generated by the removal and disposal of damaged materials (construction waste). Therefore, it is concluded that both stages contribute significantly to the total impact of the pavement and should be incorporated into future LCA studies to obtain a more accurate environmental assessment. In this sense, the proposed tool is practical, adaptable, and replicable, providing support for sustainability-oriented decision-making in the design, operation, and rehabilitation of road infrastructure.