Development of framework for green highway implementation in Malaysia

Abstract

Sustainability and green concepts are closely linked to environmental protection. Over the years, various green initiatives have been taken to support global efforts in maintaining the world’s ecological balance. Looking at the local context, most green initiatives that have been implemented in this country are mainly related to buildings and roads. In the highway project development, efforts to implement green initiatives are relatively low even though full support has been provided by the government. Reviews of literature revealed that Malaysia is still lacking of a framework or model that can be used to successfully implement green highway project development. In view of the issue, this study is carried out with the aim to develop a Green Highway Framework for Malaysia that serves as a guide for the implementing agency, i.e. Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA), in order to realize the green highway development. The green highway implementation can be monitored and assessed with the established framework coupled with availability of a rating tool known as the Malaysia Green Highway Index (MyGHI). In this study, the existing green initiatives and barriers to green highway implementation have also been investigated. The methodologies employed in the study consisted of qualitative and quantitative data collections mainly through questionnaire survey and expert interviews. The survey and interview respondents were mainly officers from government agencies including the MHA and highway concessionaires. Analysis of the data collected indicates that the implementation of green initiatives in the existing highways is marginal and needs to be improved. The findings lead to the establishment of a Green Highway Framework, made up of three main processes which are Strategic Process, Tactical Process and Operational Process. The development of the Green Highway Framework enables implementation of green initiatives in highway project developments in Malaysia to be more structured and organised.