Devon County Council (DCC) are progressing with their plan to reduce carbon emissions from maintaining Devon’s roads by implementing a new IT system, created with the University of Exeter, which calculates and tracks emissions from roadworks.

In phase one, DCC developed a carbon calculator to identify emissions throughout the maintenance process, including those from labour, transporting materials and engineers, and the longevity of the repairs among other factors. These calculations have allowed DCC to factor emissions into planning and reduce the total emissions produced per job.

In the next few weeks, DCC will be implementing phase two of the plan. This involves tracking emissions during construction or repairs, so a profile of all emissions produced during the job can be created, allowing for reflection on what works best.

Tracking and learning from the data is hoped to cut emissions across all projects. DCC is also leading other authorities in taking up similar approaches, with the potential to ensure emissions are cut during highway maintenance on a national level.

You can read more on the BBC website.