The use of sustainable practices in transportation infrastructure can be difficult because (1) they may be new or different and not part of the existing design/construction lexicon, (2) there is no effective broad-based means of comparison or quantitative assessment in this area. As a result, decisions regarding alternative designs, features, and their life cycle impacts do not have a consistent objective basis for comparison, and without careful thought, sustainable road features may be overlooked or implemented piecemeal without proper consideration for their combined impact on the life cycle of the roadway. For example, recycling policies are common to FHWA and the federal land management agencies served by the Federal Lands Highway Program (FLHP); however, little has been done to quantify recycling efforts or to market related successes on FLHP projects. Other examples include the use of bio-diesel and natural gas as alternative fuels for construction equipment, vegetable oil in hydraulic systems, low energy pavement mixtures (e.g., warm mix asphalt), cut slopes that appear more natural and function more naturally, low impact development stormwater management techniques, and the use of quiet pavements to reduce tire-pavement noise.