Unit Learning Outcome 1

Highways, Energy & the Environment and Highways as Part of the

Transportation System

A Written Report Presented to

College of Engineering Education
University of Mindanao
Matina, Davao City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

BCE412 (Principles of Transportation Engineering)

Submitted by: Stella Marie M. Manlupig

Submitted to: Engr. Abo Yasser Manalindo

October 25, 2022

HIGHWAYS, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Terms and Definitions

Highway – Highway is a wide road built for fast travel. A main road connects major
towns or cities. Vehicles such as cars, buses and trucks passing through highway emit
carbon dioxide through vehicle exhaust.
Transportation Energy - Transportation energy use refers to the end use energy
consumed by all components in the transportation sector - the production, operation,
and decommissioning of all vehicles and infrastructure. Transportation can use energy
in many different ways; most dominantly running cars and other vehicles by burning fuel,
but also in the production of the vehicles themselves, and the creation of roads, airports,
seaports, and pipelines.
 Vehicle Fuels - Comes from fossil fuels (non-renewable resources). Any material
that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as
thermal energy to be used for work.
 Gasoline – most commonly used to power passenger cars, motorcycles,
etc.
 Diesel – used to fuel trucks, heavy equipments & some passenger cars.
 Ethanol & Methanol – It has a higher octane and is often mixed with
gasoline and used for performance cars/race cars.
 Hydrogen – used for fuel cells vehicles (Honda Clarity and Toyota Mirai).
Environment – is the natural world or physical surroundings either in general, a whole or
within a particular geographical area. Nowadays, industrialized countries or country that
dominated by more infrastructures rather than the nature continuously disrupt local
communities and habitats, it pollute air and water, and contribute to global climate
change.

The Problem
As energy demands and supplies vary, and nations become increasingly
concerned about environmental impacts, the role that highway transportation plays has
come under scrutiny. As a primary consumer of fossil fuels and a major contributor to
air-borne pollution, highway transportation is an obvious target for energy conservation
and environmental impact mitigation efforts.
In the U.S., highway transportation is responsible for roughly 60 percent of all
petroleum consumption. This translates into about 12 million barrels of oil a day. In light
of the limitations of oil reserves, this is an astonishing rate of consumption. In terms of
emission impacts, highway transportation is responsible for roughly 25 percent of U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions (including over 30 percent of carbon dioxide emissions).
Highway transportation’s contribution to other pollutants is also substantial. Highway
travel is responsible for about 35 percent of all nitrous oxide emissions (NOx) and 25
percent of volatile organic compound emissions (VOC), both major contributors to the
formation of ozone. Highway travel also contributes more than 50 percent of all carbon
monoxide (CO) emissions in the U.S. and is a major source of fine particulate matter
(2.5 microns or smaller, PM2.5), which is a known carcinogen. Given these numbers, the
energy and environmental impacts of highway transportation are clearly substantial, and
an important consideration in the design and maintenance of highway facilities and the
development and implementation of policies affecting highway transportation.

The Solution
Energy Conservation and Environmental Impact Mitigation
In order to mitigate the negative effects to the environment, we must conserve
energy and reduce pollution through the following:
1. Drive Less - Fewer miles driven means fewer emissions.
2. Drive Wise - The way we drive can reduce emissions from our vehicles.
3. Choose Fuel Efficient Vehicles - When shopping for a new car, look for fuel-
efficient vehicles with low greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Don’t Idle - Unnecessary idling of cars, trucks, and school buses pollutes the air,
wastes fuel, and causes excess engine wear.
5. Optimize Home Deliveries - When getting home deliveries or shopping online,
consider asking to have all your packages sent in one shipment and with minimal
packaging.

HIGHWAYS AS PART OF THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

Transportation System
Combination of elements and their interactions, which produce the demand for
travel within a given area and the supply of transportation services to satisfy this
demand. This definition is general and flexible enough to be applied to different
contexts. Fundamental part of logistics and planning whenever vehicles are used to
move people or items from one location to another. It is the backbone of manufacturing
systems and has a significant influence on the facility's efficiency and throughput.

Highway Transportation
It is important to keep in mind that highway transportation is part of a larger
transportation system that includes air, rail, and water and pipeline transportation. In
this system, highways are the dominant mode of most passenger and freight
movements. For passenger travel, highways account for about 90 percent of all
passenger-miles. On the freight side, commercial trucks account for about 37 percent
of the freight ton-miles and, because commercial trucks transport higher-valued goods
than other modes of transportation (with the exception of air transportation), nearly 80
percent of the dollar value of all goods is transported by commercial trucks. While
highways play a dominant role in both passenger and freight movement, in many
applications there are critical interfaces among the various transportation modes. For
example, many air, rail, water and pipeline freight movements involve highway
transportation at some point for their initial collection and final distribution. Interfaces
between modes, such as those at water ports, airports and rail terminals, create
interesting transportation problems but, if handled correctly, can greatly improve the
efficiency of the overall transportation system.