Research on an evaluation index system and evaluation method of green and low-carbon expressway construction

Abstract

To promote the development of green and low-carbon expressway construction, an evaluation index system and associated evaluation method for the construction of green and low-carbon expressways suitable for multiple bridges and tunnels is proposed. The evaluation index system was created from three layers: the goal layer, the criterion layer, and the indicator layer. The criterion layer includes 4 first-level indices and the indicator layer includes 18 second-level indices. The weight of each index in the criterion layer and indicator layer is determined using the improved analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method, and green and low-carbon expressway construction is then graded using the gray fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method combined quantitative indices with qualitative indices. The method with the selected indices is then verified in a case study on the Huangling-Yan’an Expressway, with the evaluation grade being “Excellent” and the evaluation value being 9.1255. The proposed evaluation method can provide theoretical and practical guidance for effective evaluation for green and low-carbon expressway construction.

Research on infrastructure scale structure misallocation under economic and low-carbon perspectives: evidence from China's toll expressway industry

“…The phenomenon of resource misallocation in expressways leads not only to a loss of economic total factor productivity within the industry 39 , but also potentially inflicts significant harm on the climate and ecological environment 40 . However, the development of green expressways in China is short, there is still a big gap between the reality of green expressway construction and the all-round low-carbon transformation of expressways required by the "dual-carbon" policy 12 . The misallocation between supply and demand has emerged as the principal contradiction in China's expressway construction.…”

“…Being a crucial component of the transportation system, the construction, operation, and maintenance of expressways invariably result in substantial carbon emissions 8,9 . Consequently, resource allocation of expressways must account for not only its direct economic benefits and socio-economic contributions 10,11 , but also enhance its capacity for energy conservation and carbon reduction, such as the minimizing physical transaction costs and bridging spatial and temporal distances in resource allocation across various links 12,13 . Currently, the construction and planning of expressways confront challenges stemming from inefficient factor allocation and limited supply, as well as the pressures of resource and environmental constraints in the context of the dual-carbon goal 14 .…”