Advances in innovative sustainable transportation geotechnics

Abstract

Transportation geotechnics integrates geotechnical engineering principles into planning, construction, and maintenance of transportation infrastructures such as roads, highways, railways, bridges, and tunnels, vital yet resource-intensive infrastructures that demand significant attention with respect to sustainable practices. Recently, there has been a growing emphasis on implementing sustainability approaches in transportation geotechnics. This shift holds promise for environmental, economic, and societal sustainability, with potential benefits that include reducing the construction industry’s carbon footprint, conserving natural resources, minimizing harmful emissions, and lowering transportation infrastructure costs. This review explores diverse strategies for advancing sustainability in transportation geotechnics, encompassing innovative materials, ground improvement techniques, and use of geosynthetics. Life-cycle assessments of sustainable transportation geotechnics in terms of environmental impacts have also been investigated. A case study is presented to illustrate the practical implementation of sustainable geosynthetics in the United States, offering practical insights into real-world implementations. Challenges, opportunities, and future directions in integrating sustainability into transportation geotechnics are also discussed, offering a roadmap for advancing environmentally-responsible and economically-viable infrastructure development.