Did you know that digital transformation in the construction industry can increase productivity by close to 15% and reduce costs by nearly 6%? That’s a 21% increase in ROI for companies adopting these technological advancements, says Anna Liza Montenegro, director of marketing at Microsol Resources.
For more than 30 years, Microsol’s architects, engineers, and construction professionals has been at the forefront of integrated solutions in the construction industry and, according to Montenego: “While AutoCAD remains essential, the future lies in 3D modeling, augmented reality, digital twins, BIM (building information modeling), and visualisation.”
It’s all part of the “digital revolution” and the world-wide road construction and maintenance sector has got to find new ways to improve its ecological sustainability.
“Digital solutions are particularly significant in rationalising design processes, providing an opportunity for a gain in effectiveness, and decreasing unnecessary waste, says Montenego. New technologies are being applied every day “to advance highway sustainability, from conceptual design to real-time monitoring on the highway construction site itself.”
Meeting sustainability demands
The main purpose of sustainability in road construction is to promote environmental stewardship and reduce harmful emissions. Conventional methods of construction, although effective, do not have the same level of productivity and environmental consciousness.
Therefore, to resolve issues of high energy use and excessive material waste, digital technologies are being used more frequently by governments, building contractors, and civil engineering companies. The combination of 3D modeling, IoT, and digital twin technologies allows the construction workers to design, model, and modify a road structure even if no physical construction has been carried out.
Indeed, design software such as AutoCAD, has become an indispensable tool for the creation of accurate drawings that can be used for highway construction. These technologies help to prevent waste and improve the allocation of resources by reducing design cycles and enabling advancement of the designs without the need for physical prototype.
How 3D modeling enhances environmentally-friendly highway design
“3D modeling is improving the design of highways in a way that allows engineers to clearly see what every component of a road project will look like before the ground is broken,” says Microsol.
“Unlike 2D plans, 3D models can show complex topography, subsurface geology, and vegetation patterns, allowing for more accurate and context-sensitive design. Thus, one of the reasons 3D modeling is useful is that it allows the running of simulations to show the environmental impact of various options within a design.
“In this respect, the technique will let the engineers experiment with materials, accounting for erosion hazard and making related changes that allow maximising water run-off in real time.
“For instance, 3D models allow engineers to position retaining walls or stormwater management systems in ways that will minimise erosion of the soil, improve water quality, and not cause further damage to nearby habitats. Furthermore, 3D modeling in design supports creating sustainable roadways that complement carbon reduction goals.”
Modern modeling systems are a perfect way to enable your highway engineers to calculate the embodied carbon of the construction materials you are using on site: Techniques that will helps determine and reduce emissions associated with the development … from the outset.
Real-Time decision-making with digital twins
“Digital twins are a phenomenal development of 3D modeling,” says Montenegro. “By creating a digital twin of a physical road, you can enable remote monitoring of the condition and performance of the road.
“These dynamic models also have become important in long-term highway sustainability, since continuous environmental impacts, structural health, and maintenance needs can be monitored.
“For instance, digital twins can trace how the traffic load is causing pavement deterioration to enable proactive maintenance and prevent much larger repairs that involve many resources later on.
“In addition, digital twins embed information from environmental sensors, which are highly valued for the insight they provide about how development and weather patterns influence infrastructure over time.
“Using actual data, engineers make informed decisions in adapting road designs, drainage systems, and landscaping for optimised highway resilience against climate-related stressors.”
Digital twins can also “support efforts to reduce the environmental cost from road repairs. Because engineers will be able to foresee when and where maintenance will be required, they plan minor-scale and focused interventions that will cut down on emissions, reduce waste, and minimize damages or disruption to the surrounding ecosystems.
“With active digital twins in combination with computer 3D software, civil engineers will be further forging a more proactive and eco-friendly way of handling highway infrastructure.”
Use BIM to minimise your environmental footprint
BIM is another key digital tool that allows sustainable highway construction. It links 3D modeling together with material data, scheduling, costs, and environmental factors to provide a total model of the project life cycle.
“This is an holistic approach that allows you to simulate and analyze the environment of a highway in its life cycle, from the design to demolition,” argues Microsol.
“With BIM, civil engineers can make informed choices about materials to be used, energy consumption, and construction processes with environmental impact in mind.
“For example, during the design process, engineers will be in a position to enter information about sustainable materials and then pick options based on which ones produce the lowest CO2 emissions.
“During construction, BIM helps teams visualise and plan workflows, identifying chances to cut down waste and enhance efficiency. Other environmental impacts that may be unforeseen are also reduced further by simulating construction sequences.
“Besides resource conservation, BIM also allows the collaboration of stakeholders to meet the aims of sustainability. The centralisation of data and real-time updates that BIM provides allows designers, contractors, and environmental consultants to share and coordinate information.”
Case Studies: Integrated digital solutions in highway sustainability projects
To give a fantastic demonstration of what 3D modeling and digital twins feel like and how BIM might be applied to sustainable road construction, Microsol has summarised two independently-developed civil engineering projects from Nitsch Engineering and Gedeon GRC Consulting.
Nitsch Engineering: Route 125 Corridor Project
In 2018, Nitsch Engineering was chosen to work on the Route 125 Corridor project, which was intended to turn one of North Andover's most heavily traveled highways into a model for sustainable infrastructure.
By incorporating digital twins to represent real-time data along with BIM, the civil engineering team was well-placed to consider various green features such as bioswales and native vegetation.
In addition, the Nitsch Engineering team perceived patterns of stormwater runoff and made necessary adjustments in the drainage system when environmental conditions changed. This proactive approach helped not only in minimizing flood risks but also in reducing environmental pollution.
Gedeon GRC Consulting: Kosciuszko Bridge Replacement Project in New York City
In 2016, Gedeon GRC Consulting got a contract to work on the Kosciuszko bridge replacement project. The rising sea levels and frequent storms required that the project needed to focus on sustainability in protecting both the highway and local habitats.
In the pre-construction phase, AutoCAD was helpful for designing protective barriers and rerouting sections of the highway around sensitive ecosystems. The Gedeon team leveraged the construction process to apply BIM in investigations of what climate change would be suitable for bridge infrastructure.
The project also included other resilient materials and green infrastructure to absorb wave energy and prevent erosion. This building replacement project shows how digital solutions could support environmentally sustainable highway projects, considering both short- and long-term environmental impacts.
