A Framework of Indicators for Sustainable Road and Highway Infrastructure Development in Developing Countries : The Ghana Context
Main Article Content
Abstract
There is an increase in global concern about sustainability issues across all industrial sectors. Adopting sustainable highway infrastructure development is thus a crucial step toward achieving sustainable transport. This, in turn, is a key component of several sustainable development goals (SDGs) and targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Most developing countries face significant sustainability challenges in constructing roads and highway infrastructure because of a lack of a comprehensive framework for sustainable road infrastructure. This study aimed to develop a framework for sustainable road and highway development. The study utilises a questionnaire survey and data were obtained from highway professionals, including contractors, consultants, environmental agencies, road agencies, researchers and academics. Inferential statistics were developed via Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 to identify the critical indicators considered by all highway professional groups. The findings revealed 31 critical indicators, of which reducing material costs, complying with environmental requirements, contract documents and project specifications, and disaster-resilient designs emerged as the top three critical indicators, highlighting the importance of economic efficiency, responsible project execution and infrastructure resilience. In addition to bridging the gap in the literature from developing countries, the developed conceptual framework offers a structured approach to guide future initiatives in highway infrastructure development, emphasising the integration of a range of criteria for a holistic and sustainable approach.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Adler, P. (1998). In search of better way of building. In A. Sarja (ed.), Open and
Industrialised Building. London: E & FN Spon, 99–114.
Agresti, A. (2013). Categorical Data Analysis. 3rd Ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Sons.
Aljboor, A., Imam, R. and Alawneh, R. (2023). Barriers to achieving sustainability
in highway construction projects: The case of Jordan. Sustainability, 15(13):
https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310081
Ametepey, S.O. (2019). An integrated sustainable road infrastructure project
implementation model for developing countries. PhD diss. University of
Johannesburg.
Ametepey, S.O., Aigbavboa, C. and Thwala, W.D. (2022). Determinants of sustainable
road infrastructure project implementation outcomes in developing countries.
Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure, 7(3): 239–251. https://doi.org/10.1080/
2020.1777926
Amiril, A., Nawawi, A.H., Takim, R. and Latif, S.N.F.A. (2014). Transportation
infrastructure project sustainability factors and performance. Procedia
– Social and Behavioral Sciences, 153: 90–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
sbspro.2014.10.044
Amoatey, C.T. and Ankrah, A.N.O. (2017). Exploring critical road project delay
factors in Ghana. Journal of Facilities Management, 15(2): 110–127. https://
doi.org/10.1108/JFM-09-2016-0036
Assaad, R., El-Adaway, I.H. and Abotaleb, I.S. (2020). Predicting project performance
in the construction industry. Journal of Construction Engineering and
Management, 146(5). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001797
Babashamsi, P., Yusoff, N.M., Ceylan, H., Nor, N.M. and Jenatabadi, H.S. (2016).
Sustainable development factors in pavement life-cycle: Highway/airport
review. Sustainability, 8(3): 248. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8030248
Bhyan, P., Shrivastava, B. and Kumar, N. (2023). Allocating weightage to sustainability
criteria’s for performance assessment of group housing developments: Using
fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. Journal of Building Engineering, 65: 105684.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.105684
Bland, J.M. and Altman, D.G. (1997). Statistics notes: Cronbach’s alpha. BMJ,
(7080): 572–572. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.314.7080.572
Blismas, N. and Wakefield, R. (2009). Drivers, constraints and the future of offsite
manufacture in Australia. Construction Innovation, 9(1): 72–83. https://doi.
org/10.1108/14714170910931552
Brundtland, G.H. (1987). Our common future: Call for action. Environmental
Conservation, 14(4): 291–294. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892900016805
Bueno, P.C., Vassallo, J.M. and Cheung, K. (2015). Sustainability assessment of
transport infrastructure projects: A review of existing tools and methods.
Transport Reviews, 35(5): 622–649. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2015.104
Bühler, M.M., Hollenbach, P., Michalski, A., Meyer, S., Birle, E., Off, R., Lang, C.,
Schmidt, W., Cudmani, R., Fritz, O., Baltes, G. and Kortmann, G. (2023). The
industrialisation of sustainable construction: A transdisciplinary approach to
the large-scale introduction of compacted mineral mixtures (CMMs) into
building construction. Sustainability, 15(13): 10677. https://doi.org/10.3390/
su151310677
CEEQUAL (2018). An introduction to CEEQUAL: Improving sustainability through
best practice. Available at: https://files.bregroup.com/CEEQUAL/An_
introduction_to_CEEQUAL_May_2018.pdf
Chester, M.V. and Allenby, B. (2019). Toward adaptive infrastructure: Flexibility and
agility in a nonstationarity age. Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure, 4(4):
–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/23789689.2017.1416846
Clark, M., Paulli, C., Tetreault, Z. and Thomas, J. (2009). Green Guide for Roads rating
system. BSc project report. Worcester Polytechnical Institute.
Culp, M. (2011). FHWA’s sustainable highways initiative and self-evaluation tool.
Slides presented at the SCOM Meeting. Louisville, Kentucky, 18 July.
De Abreu, V.H.S., Santos, A.S. and Monteiro, T.G.M. (2022). Climate change impacts
on the road transport infrastructure: A systematic review on adaptation
measures. Sustainability, 14(14): 8864. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148864
Donyavi, S. and Flanagan, R. (2009). The impact of effective material management
on construction site performance for small and medium sized construction
enterprises. In A.R.J. Dainty (ed.), Procs 25th Annual ARCOM Conference.
Nottingham, UK: Association of Researchers in Construction Management,
–20.
Elsayegh, A., El-Adaway, I.H., Assaad, R., Ali, G., Abotaleb, I., Smith, C., Bootwala, M.
and Eteifa, S., (2020). Contractual guidelines for management of infrastructure
transportation projects. Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in
Engineering and Construction, 12(3): 04520023. https://doi.org/10.1061/
(ASCE)LA.1943-4170.0000400
El-Sayegh, S.M. and Mansour, M.H. (2015). Risk assessment and allocation in highway
construction projects in the UAE. Journal of Management in Engineering,
(6). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000365
Fallah-Fini, S., Triantis, K., Rahmandad, H. and Garza, J.M. (2015). Measuring dynamic
efficiency of highway maintenance operations. Omega, 50: 18–28. https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2014.07.001
Ferro, C., Padin, C., Høgevold, N., Svensson, G. and Varela, J.C.S. (2019). Validating
and expanding a framework of a triple bottom line dominant logic for
business sustainability through time and across contexts. Journal of Business
and Industrial Marketing, 34(1): 95–116. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-07-2017-
FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) (2012). INVEST 1.0. Available at: https://
www.sustainablehighways.org/INVEST_1.0_Compendium_Web.pdf
FIDIC (International Federation of Consulting Engineers) (2004). Project Sustainability
Management Guidelines. Geneva: FIDIC.
Frimpong, E.D. (2022). Roads Ministry provides data on over 10,000 km roads
completed in last 5 years. Graphic Online, 31 March. Available at: https://
www.graphic.com.gh/news/politics/roads-ministry-provides-data-on-over10-000km-roads-completed-in-last-5years.html
Ghana Institution of Engineering (2023). Ghana Institution of Engineering: Members
in good standing. Available at: https://ghie.org.gh/individuals
Ghana Institution of Surveyors (2021). 2021 certification/registration of members
in good standing. Available at: https://ghis.org.gh/wp-content/
uploads/2021/10/2021-Members-In-Good-Standing6215-1.pdf
Goh, K. and Yang, J. (2010). Responding to sustainability challenge and cost
implications in highway construction projects. In P. Barrett, D. Amaratunga, C. Pathirage, K. Keraminiyage and R. Haigh (eds.), Proceedings: CIB 2010 World
Congress. Salford: International Council for Building.
Hart, A. (2001). Mann-Whitney test is not just a test of medians: Differences in
spread can be important. BMJ, 323(7309): 391–393. https://doi.org/10.1136/
bmj.323.7309.391
Hashemi, H., Ghoddousi, P. and Nasirzadeh, F. (2021). Sustainability indicator
selection by a novel triangular intuitionistic fuzzy decision-making approach
in highway construction projects. Sustainability, 13(3): 1477. https://doi.
org/10.3390/su13031477
Huang, R.Y. and Yeh, C.H. (2008). Development of an assessment framework for
green highway construction. Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers,
(4): 573–585.
Ibrahim, A.H. and Shaker, M.A. (2019). Sustainability index for highway construction
projects. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 58(4): 1399–1411.
Illinois Department of Transportation (2009). I-LAST™: Illinois; Livable and sustainable
transportation – Rating system and guide. Available at: https://idot.illinois.
gov/transportation-system/environment/community/i-last.html
Institution of Engineering and Technology (2023). Individual members in good
standings. Available at: https://ietgh.org/individual-members-in-goodstandings
Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (2024). The Envision Packet. Washington DC:
Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.
Ismail, E.R., El-Mahdy, G.M., Ibrahim, A.H. and Daoud, A.O. (2023). A comprehensive
framework towards safe disposal of construction and demolition waste:
The case of Egypt. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 74: 359–369. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.aej.2023.05.033
Jiang, W., Huang, Y. and Sha, A. (2018). A review of eco-friendly functional road
materials. Construction and Building Materials, 191: 1082–1092. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.10.082
Juni, E., Adams, T.M. and Sokolowski, D. (2008). Relating cost to condition in routine
highway maintenance. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the
Transportation Research Board, 2044(1): 3–10. https://doi.org/10.3141/2044-01
Joumard, R. and Nicolas, J.-P. (2010). Transport project assessment methodology
within the framework of sustainable development. Ecological Indicators,
(2): 136–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2009.04.002
Khan, A.H., Azhar, S. and Mahmood, A. (2008). Quality assurance and control in
the construction of infrastructure services in developing countries: A case
study of Pakistan. Paper presented at the First International Conference on
Construction in Developing Countries (ICCIDC-I) “Advancing and Integrating
Construction Education, Research and Practice”. Karachi, Pakistan, 4–5
August.
Laerd Statistics (2023). Cronbach’s alpha using SPSS Statistics: Statistical tutorials
and software guides. Available at: https://statistics.laerd.com/premium/spss/
reliability-ca/cronbachs-alpha-in-spss-9.php
Laerd Statistics (2015a). Kruskal-Wallis H test using SPSS Statistics: Statistical tutorials and
software guides. Available at: https://statistics.laerd.com/spss-tutorials/
kruskal-wallis-h-test-using-spss-statistics.php
Laerd Statistics (2015b). Mann-Whitney U test using SPSS Statistics: Statistical tutorials and
software guides. Available at: https://statistics.laerd.com/spss-tutorials/
mann-whitney-u-test-using-spss-statistics.php
Lane, B., Lee, S., Bennett, B. and Chan, S. (2014). GreenPave Reference Guide:
Version 2.0. Toronto: Ministry of Transportation’s Materials Engineering and
Research Office.
Laurell, H., Karlsson, N.P.E., Lindgren, J., Andersson, S. and Svensson, G. (2019).
Retesting and validating a triple bottom line dominant logic for business
sustainability. Management of Environmental Quality: An International
Journal, 30(3): 518–537. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-02-2018-0024
Luo, W., Sandanayake, M., Zhang, G. and Tan, Y. (2021). Construction cost and
carbon emission assessment of a highway construction: A case towards
sustainable transportation. Sustainability, 13(14): 7854. https://doi.org/10.3390/
su13147854
Lim, S.K. (2009). Framework and processes for enhancing sustainability deliverables
in Australian road infrastructure projects. PhD diss. Queensland University of
Technology.
Mahamid, I., Bruland, A. and Dmaidi, N. (2012). Causes of delay in road construction
projects. Journal of Management in Engineering, 28(3), 300–310. https://doi.
org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000096
Miyatake, Y. (1996). Technology development and sustainable construction. Journal
of Management in Engineering, 12(4): 23–27.
Mok, K.Y., Shen, G.Q. and Yang, J. (2015). Stakeholder management studies in
mega construction projects: A review and future directions. International
Journal of Project Management, 33(2): 446–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
ijproman.2014.08.007
Montgomery, R., Schirmer, H. and Hirsch, A. (2014). A sustainability rating system
for roads in developing countries. ICSI 2014, 1086–1096. https://doi.
org/10.1061/9780784478745.103
Muench, S.T., Anderson, J.L. and Söderlund, M. (2010). Greenroads: A sustainability
performance metric for roadways. Journal of Green Building, 5(2): 114–128.
Nawaz, W., Linke, P. and Koҫ, M. (2019). Safety and sustainability nexus: A review and
appraisal. Journal of Cleaner Production, 216: 74–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jclepro.2019.01.167
Nerini, F., Sovacool, B., Hughes, N., Cozzi, L., Cosgrave, E., Howells, M., Tavoni, M.,
Tomei, J., Zerriffi, H. and Milligan, B. (2019). Connecting climate action with
other Sustainable Development Goals. Nature Sustainability, 2(8): 674–680.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0334-y
New York State Department of Transportation (2011). GreenLITES. Available at:
https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/greenlites
Ogryzek, M., Krupowicz, W. and Sajnóg, N. (2021). Public participation as a tool
for solving socio-spatial conflicts of smart cities and smart villages in the
sustainable transport system. Remote Sensing, 13(23): 4821. https://doi.
org/10.3390/rs13234821
Orieno, O.H., Ndubuisi, N.L., Eyo-Udo, N.L., Ilojianya, V.I. and Biu, P.W. (2024).
Sustainability in project management: A comprehensive review. World
Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 21(1): 656–677. https://doi.
org/10.30574/wjarr.2024.21.1.0060
Opoku, D.-G.J., Perera, S., Osei-Kyei, R. and Rashidi, M. (2021). Digital twin application
in the construction industry: A literature review. Journal of Building Engineering,
: 102726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102726
Owusu-Manu, D.-G., Babon-Ayeng, P., Kissi, E., Edwards, D.J., Okyere-Antwi, D. and
Elgohary, H. (2023). Green construction and environmental performance: an
assessment framework. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 12(3): 565–
https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-07-2021-0120
Polat, G., Arditi, D., Ballard, G. and Mungen, U. (2006). Economics of on‐site vs. off‐
site fabrication of rebar. Construction Management and Economics, 24(11):
–1198. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190500529432
Prakash, A. and Mohanty, R.P. (2015). Understanding construction supply chain
management for road projects. International Journal of Logistics Systems and
Management, 22(4): 414–435. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJLSM.2015.072747
Purvis, B., Mao, Y. and Robinson, D. (2019). Three pillars of sustainability: In search
of conceptual origins. Sustainability Science, 14(3): 681–695. https://doi.
org/10.1007/s11625-018-0627-5
Recycled Materials Resource Center (2012). BE2
ST-in-Highways™. Available at:
https://rmrc.wisc.edu/be2st-in-highways
Regmi, M.B. and Hanaoka, S. (2011). A survey on impacts of climate change on
road transport infrastructure and adaptation strategies in Asia. Environmental
Economics and Policy Studies, 13(1): 21–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10018-
-0002-y
Ruiz, A. and Guevara, J. (2020). Sustainable decision-making in road development:
Analysis of road preservation policies. Sustainability, 12(3): 872. https://doi.
org/10.3390/su12030872
Sala, S., Farioli, F. and Zamagni, A. (2013). Progress in sustainability science: lessons
learnt from current methodologies for sustainability assessment: Part 1. The
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 18(9): 1653–1672. https://doi.
org/10.1007/s11367-012-0508-6
Sánchez-Silva, M. and Calderón-Guevara, W. (2022). Flexibility and adaptability
within the context of decision-making in infrastructure management. Structure
and Infrastructure Engineering, 18(7): 950–966. https://doi.org/10.1080/15732
2022.2038642
Sandanayake, M.S., Vrcelj, Z., Bouras, Y., Chau, H.-W. and Hastings, P. (2023). Simplified
rating tool to evaluate sustainable practices of small-scale infrastructure
projects in Australia: A comparative review. Smart and Sustainable Built
Environment, 13(5): 1260–1280. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-05-2022-0089
Santos, J., Flintsch, G. and Ferreira, A. (2017). Environmental and economic
assessment of pavement construction and management practices for
enhancing pavement sustainability. Resources, Conservation and Recycling,
: 15–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.08.025
Segui, P., Safhi, A.M., Amrani, M. and Benzaazoua, M. (2023). Mining wastes as road
construction material: A review. Minerals, 13(1): 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/
min13010090
Suprayoga, G.B., Witte, P. and Spit, T. (2020). Identifying barriers to implementing
a sustainability assessment tool for road project planning: An institutional
perspective from practitioners in Indonesia. Journal of Environmental Planning
and Management, 63(13): 2380–2401. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2020.
Suprayoga, G.B., Bakker, M., Witte, P. and Spit, T. (2020). A systematic review of
indicators to assess the sustainability of road infrastructure projects. European
Transport Research Review, 12: 1–15.
Teo, M. and Loosemore, M. (2003). Changing the environmental culture of the
construction industry. In K.R. Molenaar and P.S. Chinowsky (eds.), Construction
Research Congress: Wind of Change; Integration and Innovation. Reston, VA:
American Society of Civil Engineers, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1061/40671(2003)51
Transport for New South Wales (2012). 2012 review of the disability standards for
accessible public transport: Transport for NSW submission. Available at: https://
www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/migrated/transport/disabilities/
review/files/2012_submissions/No_95_Transport_for_New_South_Wales.pdf
Uchehara, I., Moore, D., Jafarifar, N. and Omotayo, T. (2022). Sustainability rating
system for highway design: A key focus for developing sustainable cities and
societies in Nigeria. Sustainable Cities and Society, 78: 103620. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.103620
Ugwu, O.O. and Haupt, T.C. (2007). Key performance indicators and assessment
methods for infrastructure sustainability: A South African construction
industry perspective. Building and Environment, 42(2): 665–680. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.10.018
United Nations (2023). Sustainable transport. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/
topics/sustainable-transport
Vijayakumar, A., Mahmood, M.N., Gurmu, A., Kamardeen, I. and Alam, S. (2023).
Critical indicators for assessing the life cycle social footprint of Australian
freeways. Construction Innovation, Forthcoming. https://doi.org/10.1108/CI03-2023-0040
Williams, J., Fugar, F. and Adinyira, E. (2020). Assessment of health and safety
culture maturity in the construction industry in developing economies: A
case of Ghanaian construction industry. Journal of Engineering, Design and
Technology, 18(4): 865–881. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEDT-06-2019-0151
Xiao, Y., D’Angelo, D. and Lê, N.-P.T. (2020). Infrastructure investment and the
sustainable development goals. In G. Schwartz, M. Fouad, T.S. Hansen and
G. Verdier (eds.), Well Spent: How Strong Infrastructure Governance Can End
Waste in Public Investment. Washington DC: International Monetary Fund,
–66.
Xing, J., Ye, K., Zuo, J. and Jiang, W. (2018). Control dust pollution on construction
sites: What governments do in China? Sustainability, 10(8): 2945. https://doi.
org/10.3390/su10082945
Yang, S.H., Liu, J.Y.H. and Tran, N.H. (2018). Multi-criteria life cycle approach to
develop weighting of sustainability indicators for pavement. Sustainability,
(7): 2325. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072325
Yeboah, R.M. (2022). Ghana: Some 10,875 km new roads constructed in last 5 years;
Roads Minister confirms. AllAfrica, 1 April. Available at: https://allafrica.com/
stories/202204010599.html
Yu, C.H. (2001). An introduction to computing and interpreting Cronbach coefficient
alpha in SAS. In Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Annual SAS Users Group
International Conference. Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc.
Yunus, R. (2012). Decision making guidelines for sustainable construction of
industrialised building systems. PhD diss. Queensland University of Technology.
Yunus, R. and Yang, J. (2011). Sustainability criteria for industrialised building
systems (IBS) in Malaysia. Procedia Engineering, 14: 1590–1598. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.proeng.2011.07.200