EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I.—University of Rhode Island students are working with state transportation officials to gauge the environmental effects of road construction.
The students are collecting data on diesel emissions from construction vehicles at a one-mile road project in East Providence.
The project is designed to find out the most effective ways of limiting diesel emissions from dump trucks, front-end loaders and backhoes.
URI graduate student Dean Valentini, one of the project researchers, says construction vehicles produce greater diesel emissions than other diesel vehicles because their engines are larger.
The work is being funded by the state's Department of Transportation, which hopes to find the most cost-effective means of abiding by new emissions standards. A final report on the research's findings is expected to be delivered to the state next year.
