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Concrete infrastructure represents an enormous investment of materials, energy, and capital, and results in significant envi- ronmental burdens and social costs. There is an ongoing effort to identify material alternatives to conventional concrete. Life cycle assessment ~LCA! is an important tool to evaluate the environmental performance of alternative infrastructure materials and systems. Here, we present a comparative LCA of two bridge deck systems over a 60 year service life: one using conventional steel expansion joints and the other based on a link slab design using a concrete alternative, engineered cementitious composites ~ECC!. The ECC link slab design is expected to extend the bridge deck service life and reduce maintenance activities. A life cycle model was developed that accounts for materials production and distribution, construction and maintenance processes, construction-related traffic congestion, and end-of-life management. Results indicate that the ECC bridge deck system has significant advantages in environmental performance: 40% less life cycle energy consumption, 50% less solid waste generation, and 38% less raw material consumption. Construction related traffic congestion is the greatest contributor to most life cycle impact categories.