Human Benefits of Road Improvements: A Case Study

Abstract

This study evaluates human benefits of a road improvements, in terms of safety, vehicle operating costs, travel time and jobs, through a case study of a highway US 550 in New Mexico. This highway is a 118-mile road, which was reconstructed from a two-lane highway to a four-lane highway over a period of three years from 1998 to 2001. It is shown that the reduction in travel time occurs on the rural portions of the road. The vehicle operating costs has reduced due to mainly less fuel consumption. Using US 550 crash data for 1996-1998 (before) and 2002-2008 (after), it is shown that the crash increased from 85 per year in the before period to 116 per year in the after period, an overall increase of 36 percent. The situation certainly would have been worse if the road had remained in its former two-lane configuration. In an effort to develop a better understanding of the crashes on US 550 before and after the reconstruction, comparisons were conducted of selected crash characteristics, specifically severity, day of the week, and crash class. It is shown a five percent increase in crash on Sundays and a 5 percent decrease on Saturday. The reconstruction of NM44/US 550 was intended to make some areas connected by this road more attractive to business, industry, and tourists. Though this reconstruction has increased tourist attractions to the local area, job growth was not proportionate to the population growth in the area.