Skip to main content

Creating the world’s first sustainable highway

The Mission Zero Corridor Project in West Georgia, US, believes that it is possible to have a ‘green highway’. To this end, it has appointed breakthrough innovation consultancy Innovia Technology to help create a ‘travel corridor’ and rethink the purpose and function of this infrastructure to generate social, environmental and economic value. The project aims to be a fitting legacy for the late Ray C. Anderson, ‘the greenest CEO and founder of Interface, the global manufacturer of modular carpet. A
August 10, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The Mission Zero Corridor Project in West Georgia, US, believes that it is possible to have a ‘green highway’. To this end, it has appointed breakthrough innovation consultancy Innovia Technology to help create a ‘travel corridor’ and rethink the purpose and function of this infrastructure to generate social, environmental and economic value.
 
The project aims to be a fitting legacy for the late Ray C. Anderson, ‘the greenest CEO and founder of Interface, the global manufacturer of modular carpet.
 
Anderson developed the Mission Zero framework to eliminate Interface’s environmental impact while maintaining productivity and still turning a profit. The aim was a promise to “eliminate any negative impacts the company may have on the environment by 2020” and the framework created a blueprint for business sustainability.
 
As a memorial to Anderson, the Ray C Anderson Foundation is using a 16-mile stretch of the Interstate 85 in Troup County, West Georgia, as a living experiment to demonstrate that it is possible to build a ‘regenerative, restorative and sustainable highway’.
 
To get the project started the Foundation and Interface funded a vision study through The Georgia Conservancy’s Blueprints for Successful Communities program. Using Interface’s Mission Zero framework as a roadmap, graduate students in the School of Architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology, with studio instruction from a team of architects from Perkins+Will in Atlanta, explored how a highway could be a tool of change.
 
The outcome was an inspirational report that identifies a broad range of potential technologies and opportunities.
 
Innovia will provide a creative exploration of new opportunities, evaluate the technologies for viability and scalability and propose a strategy to bring the vision to life by attracting the engagement and support of key stakeholders.

Related Content

  • ITS America 2016 San Jose tours programme shows the present and future of ITS
    May 27, 2016
    The major theme of Thursday, June 16, at ITS America 2016 San Jose will be a series of tours that exemplify intelligent transportation at work today and with an eye to the future. The Interstate 80 Integrated Corridor Mobility Project Tour will take in one of the most complex integrated Active Traffic Management systems in the country. This tour includes a stop at the Caltrans TMC in Oakland for an overview of system operations
  • Chicago pushes traffic safety plan for ‘poorer’ areas
    October 2, 2019
    The city of Chicago has unveiled a plan to help improve traffic safety in its poorer areas, focusing on the south and west sides. Mayor Lori Lightfoot says studies show that residents living in communities experiencing “economic hardship” are three times more likely to die as a result of a traffic crash. “We must change how we design and use streets, as any traffic-related death is unacceptable when we, as a city, have the tools and strategies to prevent the conditions that lead to these tragedies,” Ligh
  • Twenty year vision for Birmingham city transport
    November 14, 2014
    A white paper setting out Birmingham’s 20-year vision for improving transport across the city is set to be unveiled today. Birmingham Connected aims to make the city safer and easier to travel around by reducing congestion and promoting more sustainable forms of transport. Initiatives in the plan include the completion of a US$1.9 billion public transport network within 20 years and the development of Green Travel Districts to enable people to walk, cycle or take public transport safely. A feasibilit
  • Making plans for Melbourne
    October 7, 2015
    As the 22nd ITS World Congress wraps up in Bordeaux, it’s time to set our sights down under to Australia where Melbourne, the World's Most Liveable City for the 5th year running, is preparing to welcome an international contingent to the 23rd World Congress from 10-14 October 2016. Here, ITS Australia CEO Susan Harris provides an outline of what to expect from the event.