Evaluating Project-Based Roadway Sustainability Rating System for Public Agency Use

Several road-owning organizations are considering the use of project-based sustainability rating systems either now or in the near future. However, there is little information on how these systems might be evaluated or best used. Experience from the Oregon Department of Transportation (DOT) represents a reasonable approach to contextualizing and evaluating such rating systems. Early support by upper management and specific direction helped the Oregon DOT develop an organizational approach to sustainability within which a rating system could be evaluated for use. The Oregon DOT's interest in project-based rating systems led to its evaluation of the Greenroads rating system and use of it on three Oregon DOT in-progress projects. The Greenroads evaluation identified 11 sustainability best practices achieved by the Oregon DOT and identified 10 more that could be achieved for low additional effort, indicating potential for improvement. Ultimately, it appears that a sustainability rating system, when used in the proper context, can provide a flexible approach for an owner agency to measure, manage, improve, and communicate sustainability at the project level.