Implementing Carbon Digital Twins in the Road Sector: A Strategic Framework for Technical, Financial, and Governance Integration

Abstract

The global urgency to decarbonize the built environment has precipitated a paradigm shift in the management of road infrastructure, moving from static, retrospective environmental reporting to dynamic, real-time carbon management. While digital twin technologies have reached maturity in geometric modeling and asset maintenance, their application for carbon reduction—conceptualized as the Carbon Digital Twin (CDT)—remains in a nascent stage of implementation. This research proposes a comprehensive implementation strategy for CDTs in the road sector, transitioning the industry from static, retrospective reporting to dynamic, whole-life carbon management. Synthesizing previous research findings, this study this study proposes a tripartite framework: (1) a Technical layer underpinned by a novel Carbon Data Ontology and a validated prototype; (2) a Financial layer that operationalizes the “Shadow Price of Carbon” within 5D BIM cost workflows; and (3) a Governance layer anchored in PAS 2080:2023 and the ISO 19650 standard. The framework provides a comprehensive guideline for asset owners and supply chain partners to operationalize data-driven sustainability, transforming road infrastructure into intelligent, carbon-conscious systems, thereby bridging the gap between theoretical net-zero targets and operational reality.