The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced earlier this month that it has reached a major milestone in one of the most ambitious low-carbon concrete programs of its kind among U.S. transportation agencies. 

Originally introduced in September 2020, the Clean Construction Program aims to reduce embodied carbon, promote the circular economy, and reduce air pollution from construction across all of the Authority’s projects through a range of initiatives. They include the incorporation of LEED and Envision-equivalent standards, utilizing low-carbon concrete, collecting environmental data from contractors, facilitating pilot projects, waste matching for concrete, asphalt, and soil, and requiring low-emissions vehicles on site. 

The agency took a major step forward by significantly strengthening its requirements to use sustainable concrete mixes in all future construction projects as part of its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. 

The new specifications establish maximum allowable carbon limits and now allow for the inclusion of ground glass and Portland-limestone cement when producing cement, which requires less energy than conventional cement mixtures. The Port Authority also announced that it is launching the final phase of a pilot program to advance research into developing more sustainable concrete by testing new mixes at its facilities. 

“The Port Authority is committed to researching sustainable practices for our infrastructure plans to improve the quality of life for communities we serve,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole in a statement. “We are proud to partner with students and faculty at our local universities in initiating change towards a cleaner future.”

Since the start of the program, the agency has worked alongside various academic research institutions, including Rutgers University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and New York University, to create and test the use of recycled material in concrete mixes. The Port Authority says it has identified 18 concrete recipes that can reduce emissions by up to 37 percent over its preexisting low-carbon concrete mixes.