1/28/2026 McCall Macomber
Written by McCall Macomber
The transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. One way to reduce this number? Our pavements.
Illinois Center for Transportation has developed a tool, i-PEACE (Pavement Engineering Analytics for Cost and Environment), that assesses the environmental impact and cost of all stages of pavement, from materials selection to its removal.
The freely available, web-based tool allows users to conduct a life cycle assessment and cost analysis — which evaluate environmental impact and costs, respectively — of pavement’s five stages: materials, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation, use and end of life.
“In order to understand the full impact of pavement on the environment, we need to study the five stages,” said Imad Al-Qadi, ICT director and Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering. “This tool stands apart because it captures the environmental impact of all five stages and ties it to cost.”
A key aspect of i-PEACE is its ability to calculate the use stage of pavement — when the road is operational and serving traffic. i-PEACE provides calculations for this stage that include fuel consumption due to road roughness, pavement deflection, surface texture, congestion, work zone areas, and electric vehicles, among other factors.
“The tool’s output includes multiple emission types, allowing users to determine potential impact on air and human health,” Al-Qadi said. “It also enables users to select the optimum treatment, based on quantitative comparison, and see how the choice affects both costs and emissions.”
Al-Qadi credits the development of the tool to the many students and colleagues who have contributed to its advancement over the past decade.
“This tool is the first comprehensive tool of its kind,” Al-Qadi said. “We’re very excited to have it available and for people to make use of this tool.”