ABSTRACT
Road maintenance, and especially resurfacing, has become a major concern for the environmental performance of the road industry. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to provide science-based recommendations to enhance this performance. But LCA results are widely acknowledged to be context-dependent, and their robustness largely depends on the quality of the input data. This study provides knowledge on how to prioritize efforts to contextualize resurfacing life cycle inventories (LCI), by analyzing the impact contribution of the different life cycle stages and sub-stages of resurfacing operations, from cradle-to-laid. Then, it gives an overview of existing LCIs for asphalt resurfacing: it reviews and qualitatively details the selection and development of these LCIs, published in both academic and institutional literature. It highlights an overall need for better quality data and easier access to information on this quality. A collaborative “LCI observatory” is suggested to help the infrastructure LCA community to gather and scientifically select LCIs according to the specificity of each study, to produce more robust recommendations for decision-makers.
