Prioritization of Low-Volume Road Projects Considering Project Cost and Network Accessibility: An Incremental Benefit–Cost Analysis Framework

Wubeshet Woldemariam

doi:10.3390/su132313434

Abstract

Due to insufficient funds to implement all candidate road infrastructure projects, there is a need to efficiently utilize available funds and select candidate projects that maximize performance criteria decision-makers. This paper proposes an incremental benefit–cost analysis (IBCA) framework to prioritize low-volume road (LVR) projects that maximize road network accessibility considering project cost and network accessibility requirements. The study results show that the accessibility benefits of road projects depend not only on their cost requirements but also on their spatial locations in the network that affect their network-level accessibility benefits per unit cost of investment. Additionally, the number of disrupted LVR links cannot fully determine the degree of change in network accessibility. The framework enables decision-makers to consider project cost requirements and the accessibility-related impacts of LVR projects, maximize economic benefits, and ensure the sustainability of the LVR network performance.

Highlights

Sustainability 2021, 13, 13434. https://In addition to other benefits, transportation infrastructure projects should be able to maximize the accessibility of the infrastructure network so that the mobility of system users is optimized [1]
The results show that project bundles containing low-volume road (LVR) Project A are preferred for the three disruption scenarios considered in the study, implying that some LVR projects are very vital for maximizing LVR
The results show that project bundles containing LVR Project A are preferred for the three disruption scenarios considered in the study, implying that some LVR projects are very vital for maximizing LVR network resilience after the occurrence of network disruption events that degrade network accessibility performance regardless of the level of investment made in improving the network accessibility

Summary

Introduction

Sustainability 2021, 13, 13434. https://In addition to other benefits, transportation infrastructure projects should be able to maximize the accessibility of the infrastructure network so that the mobility of system users is optimized [1]. Infrastructure investment decisions rarely consider the impact of project selection and prioritization on transportation networks’ accessibility performance [1]. In the context of transportation investments, decisions are based on solving corridor-level transportation problems associated with traffic congestion, air pollution, or travel time reduction [6,7]. These corridor-level decisions may bring unwanted impacts on network accessibility. Those decisions may not consider the importance of individual road sections in maximizing network accessibility, which plays a significant role during network disruptions due to human-made or natural disasters. The significance of a given road section in terms of network accessibility especially becomes very significant in cases of sparse networks with a lower level of connectivity among road links

Results

Discussion

Conclusion