Technological innovation is continuously present in the domain of highway engineering. The development of new technological ideas and the elaboration of new methods of construction have resulted in high-performance highways and motorways in Europe, in America and elsewhere. It is, nevertheless, well known that innovative materials in highway engineering are produced through long processing methods requiring energy consumption and enhancing the concentration of pollutants in the air. In this way, the sustainability of many methods and materials of technological innovation is questionable. On the other hand, most developed and developing countries stockpile industrial by-products and other waste materials, which generally, present poor engineering properties and are rarely considered suitable for alternative method of construction. This is due to the fact that, in most countries, the environmental factor, is still missing in the design process of highway engineering projects. In the present paper an alternative perception in highway design and construction is attempted introducing the environmental factor to account for sustainability in this engineering domain. The use of waste materials is suggested and the benefits and drawbacks with regard to the conventional highway materials are examined. The overall balance allowing for technical, economic and environmental features of an effective and sustainable highway design is drawn.
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