Identifying and Quantifying Microplastics Generated from the Roadway Environment: Field Monitoring and Analysis

Microplastics (MPs) generated from roadway materials and vehicle activity are an emerging environmental concern, yet their sources, behavior, and impacts remain poorly quantified. Transportation agencies use plastics in erosion control netting, road markings, and increasingly in recycled plastic modified (RPM) asphalt, all of which have the potential to shed MPs through weathering and abrasion. Tire wear particles further dominate MP emissions. At the same time, the lack of standardized analytical methods limit reliable measurement of MPs in stormwater and roadside soils. This research will improve understanding of roadway-derived MPs and advanced analytical consistency by (1) comparing TGA-FTIR and Py-GC-MS to develop a validated mass-based quantification workflow: (2) quantifying polymer-specific MPs across rural, urban, and RPM asphalt sites; (3) evaluating relationships between traffic volume and MP abundance; and (4) examining how antecedent dry periods influence MP mobilization during storm events. Integrated laboratory testing and field sampling will link analytical precision with real-world roadway conditions. The results will provide transportation agencies, including Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), with robust methods, source-specific MP data, and insights needed to anticipate and inform future regulations and guide more sustainable roadway material and stormwater management practices.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $471,110.00
• Contract Numbers:

  130114

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Virginia Transportation Research Council

  530 Edgemont Road
  Charlottesville, VA  United States  22903
• Managing Organizations:

  Virginia Transportation Research Council

  530 Edgemont Road
  Charlottesville, VA  United States  22903
• Project Managers:

  Lloyd, Lewis

• Performing Organizations:

  Virginia Transportation Research Council

  530 Edgemont Road
  Charlottesville, VA  United States  22903

  University of Virginia, Charlottesville

  Center for Transportation Studies
  P.O. Box 400742, Thornton Hall, D228
  Charlottesville, VA  United States  22903
• Principal Investigators:

  Lloyd, Lewis

  Smith, James

  Ndebele, Nkosinobubelo

• Start Date: 20260807
• Expected Completion Date: 20290131
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Environmental impacts; Highways; Plastics; Pollutants; Spectroscopic analysis; Thermogravimetric analysis; Traffic volume
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01998372
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Virginia Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 130114
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 4 2026 9:56AM