Promoting the use of Green Construction Technology in Road Sector

Project Summary:

India has been implementing its large road infrastructure program since 2000. The KGGTF’s USD $500,000 promoting the use of green construction technology in the road sector program addresses an urgent need for sustainable construction practices. Traditional low-productivity construction technologies use a great deal of energy and emit a great deal of GHGs, and materials such as sand and gravel deplete natural resources. The program shares knowledge about options and innovative materials based on successful examples from Korea and other countries. The program directly contributes to a road modernization project in Rajasthan that aims to bolster the local rural economy by improving transit connectivity in remote rural areas. Among options, mineral-rich Rajasthan state save money and create local “green” jobs by building roads using its large quantities of quarry waste and materials such fly ash and low-cost concrete. The program is organizing a workshop for officials from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, India’s National Highway Authorities, National Rural Roads Development Authority and Rajasthan’s Public Works Department. The program will then pilot a selection of green options for at least 10% of roads that India’s national program will build.  

List of Activities:

• Complementing measures to promote smart investments and incite changes in consumer behavior driving efficiency (e.g. through the combination of smart urban planning, investments in public transport, pricing policies and social marketing)
• Promoting increased resilience with a primary focus on making cities and transport systems more resilient against risks through smart infrastructure design that is well adapted to a variety of futures, protection against extreme weather events, and mechanisms to avoid disruptions of urban and transport services in cases of natural disasters
• Underpinning the Korean vision of green growth that a focus on green sustainability need not come at the expense of growth and that greening can also be a source of increased competitiveness

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• Repository/database of innovative technologies for road construction/maintenance created incorporating Korean best practices

Output 2:

• Agreement with stakeholders on selected technology and innovative materials to be piloted and subsequently mainstreamed in the program manuals and work specifications

Output 3:

• Technology pilots conducted in ongoing Bank funded NHIIP/ PMGSY/ RRSMP program

Output 4:

• Green construction technology adopted in road construction in at least 10% of the roads being built under the NHIIP / PMGSY / RRSMP programs

Outcomes:

The outcomes of this project contribute to supporting the delivery of green growth initiatives, particularly towards achieving: (i) ‘greater resilience’ against past development mistakes and a changing climate, through the use of ‘greener technologies and construction materials’ helping to counter the rapid depletion of natural resources, high emission of air pollutants and high energy requirements, and (ii) ‘increased competitiveness’ in green growth through the use of locally available and low-cost innovative materials that would not only result in cost and time savings , but also through creation of ‘green jobs’, as has been found in some pilots involving use of natural materials and innovative techniques for road construction in India.

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

The project was based on collaboration with the Korea Institute of Construction Technology (KICT), which is a government-sponsored research institute responsible for establishing government policies and performing R&D to enable convenient, safe, and high-quality land development for Korea. In the area of highways, it has developed and is currently operating an intelligent traffic system and facilities maintenance system targeting major national infrastructures such as roads (pavements), bridges, and tunnels.