Between 2017 and 2018, California experienced four devastating fires, including the Camp and Carr Fires. After fires, road infrastructure is crucial for safe removal of hazardous materials and waste to landfills and recycling facilities. Despite the critical role of pavements in this process, there has been little quantitative evaluation of the potential damage to pavements from truck traffic for debris removal. To address this knowledge gap, data on truck trip numbers and debris tonnage following the Camp and Carr Fires were used to calculate changes in equivalent single axle loads and traffic index over the pavement’s design life (the age at which reconstruction would be considered). Simulations were conducted on existing pavement structures to assess potential additional damage based on increased traffic indices. Pavement structural design simulations showed that out of the nine studied highways, one exhibited a reduction in cracking life of about two years from debris removal operations. However, fatigue cracking was significantly accelerated for Skyway, the major road in the Town of Paradise, failing 14.3 years before its design life. A methodology similar to the one presented in this study can be adopted in debris management planning to strategically avoid vulnerable pavements and minimize damage to the highway network.

California’s truck fleet composition is shifting to include more natural gas vehicles (NGVs), electric vehicles (EVs), and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), and it will shift more quickly to meet state greenhouse gas (GHG) emission goals. These alternative fuel trucks (AFTs) may introduce heavier axle loads, which may increase pavement damage and GHG emissions from work to maintain pavements. This project aimed to provide conceptual-level estimates of the effects of vehicle fleet changes on road and bridge infrastructure. Three AFT implementation scenarios were analyzed using typical Calif. state and local pavement structures, and a federal study’s results were used to assess the effects on bridges. This study found that more NGV, EV, and FC trucks are expected among short-haul and medium-duty vehicles than among long-haul vehicles, for which range issues arise with EVs and FCs. But the estimates predicted that by 2050, alternative fuels would power 25–70% of long-haul and 40–95% of short-haul and medium-duty trucks. AFT implementation is expected to be focused in the 11 counties with the greatest freight traffic—primarily urban counties along major freight corridors. Results from the implementation scenarios suggest that introducing heavier AFTs will only result in minimal additional pavement damage, with its extent dependent on the pavement structure and AFT implementation scenario. Although allowing weight increases of up to 2,000 lbs. is unlikely to cause major issues on more modern bridges, the effects of truck concentrations at those new limits on inadequate bridges needs more careful evaluation. The study’s most aggressive market penetration scenario yielded an approximate net reduction in annual well-to-wheel truck propulsion emissions of 1,200–2,700 kT per year of CO2 -e by 2030, and 6,300–34,000 kT by 2050 versus current truck technologies. Negligible effects on GHG emissions from pavement maintenance and rehabilitation resulted from AFT implementation.