Green road index development: policy implications and strategic prioritization for sustainable transportation infrastructure

Issa, Amjad; Alhadidi, Taqwa I.; Alazmi, Asmaa · 2026 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1186/s43065-026-00175-1

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study addresses the lack of an integrated, quantitative framework for assessing the sustainability of road infrastructure, a gap that hinders effective decision-making amidst growing safety, environmental, and financial pressures. The authors developed the Green Road Index (GRI), a composite metric designed to systematically prioritize sustainability criteria for roadway projects while accounting for uncertainty in expert judgment. The research aims to provide transportation agencies with a transparent tool to balance economic, environmental, social, and technical factors throughout the infrastructure lifecycle. The methodology employed the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to integrate qualitative and quantitative indicators, specifically chosen to manage the imprecision inherent in subjective expert evaluations. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire administered to 30 experts from academia, industry, and public agencies. These experts evaluated four main sustainability criteria—safety, geometric design, cost, and environmental impact—along with their associated sub-criteria using fuzzy pairwise comparisons. The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, translating expert opinions into weighted priorities to establish a robust decision-support framework. The results identified safety as the most influential criterion for sustainable roadway development, with a global weight of 0.343, followed by geometric design (0.315), environmental impact (0.182), and cost (0.160). High-priority sub-criteria included enforcement and regulations, pedestrian facilities, traffic control devices, slope reduction, renewable energy use, and the promotion of public transportation. These findings underscore the dominant role of safety and geometric design in sustainability assessments, while highlighting the necessity of balancing these with economic and environmental considerations. The significance of this work lies in the provision of a practical, adaptable decision-support tool for planners and policymakers. By consolidating multiple sustainability dimensions into a single index, the GRI offers evidence-based insights for resource allocation and project prioritization. The study advances multi-criteria decision-making in transportation by demonstrating the effective application of FAHP to handle uncertainty, thereby enhancing the robustness and transparency of sustainability assessments. This framework supports the transition toward resilient, green transportation networks that align with long-term sustainability objectives and community expectations.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• roadway lighting effects