This study aimed to assess the global and domestic efforts regarding the reduction of environmental-impact-factor emissions in the production and construction processes of concrete pavements. By utilizing internationally commercialized programs, this study sought to calculate the environmental impact factors generated by specific domestic concrete-pavement projects and identify areas for improvement. This study evaluated the global and domestic efforts of environmental impact reduction by focusing on the production and construction of concrete pavements. This study calculated the environmental impact factors for five cases using internationally commercialized software. The analysis revealed that, during the production and construction of concrete pavements, Portland cement production is a dominant cause of global warming, smog, acidification, and non-carcinogenic factors, whereas aggregate production is a dominant cause of ozone depletion, eutrophication, carcinogenicity, respiratory issues, environmental toxicity, and fossil-fuel depletion. This study analyzed the environmental impact factors of material mix and process during concrete pavement production and construction using foreign life-cycle inventory (LCI) databases. The environmental impact of each input material was identified. In the future, if an LCI and life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) database for domestic road pavement materials is established and analyzed based on the conditions presented in this study, it is expected to lay the foundation for the development of environmentally friendly materials.

PURPOSES : The study aims to establish a comprehensive life cycle assessment model for bridges in South Korea considering domestic carbon emission factors. The main aims are to evaluate the carbon emission of bridge construction, focusing on the Seong-ri Bridge as a case study, and to improve national environmental policies and management strategies. METHODS : We utilized the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, adhering to standards set by ISO, to categorize each phase of the bridge's life cycle. The process involved selecting the bridge type based on the compilation of a detailed analysis range. The analysis covered various stages from raw material supply (A1-A3) to construction (A4-A5) and maintenance (B2-B5), excluding certain stages due to data unavailability. Carbon emission factors were then applied to quantify emissions at each stage. RESULTS : The findings indicate that the raw material production phase (A1-A3) contributes to approximately 96% of the total carbon emissions, highlighting its significant impact. We report detailed calculations of emissions using domestically developed emission factors for materials such as steel and concrete and establish a carbon emission per unit length measure for comparative analysis with other infrastructure. CONCLUSIONS : We leveraged LCA ISO standards to analyze each stage of the Seong-ri bridge, calculating its carbon emissions based on domestic factors for CO2, CH4, and N2O. By tailoring the study to Korea-specific emission factors, we develop a greenhouse gas model closely aligned with the nation’s environmental conditions. The results contribute to improving environmental impact assessments and strategically aiding national policy and management decisions.