The effect of Design Guideline for Expressway Facilities

Abstract

Background The purpose of this study is to analyze the preference for highway facilities using before and after images and to assess the satisfaction of highway facilities. Throughout this process, the study shows the effectiveness of a public design guideline for highway facilities by the Korea Expressway Corporation. Methods The before images show the current facilities and the simulated after images represent the facilities that follow the public design guideline. The assessment is analyzed by the t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Results The study found that the highway facilities with a public design guideline were mostly upgraded and the difference between the before and after images was considered statistically significant. Especially, all after images were valued over 4 in every assessment. Also, this study shows that there can be a difference of perception on a project between experts and common users. Thus, a public design guideline should be examined from the users’ point of view for practicality and usefulness. Conclusions The results of this study prove the effectiveness of a public design guideline and help implement an improvement project with guideline sustainability. Moreover, the results make it possible to analyze each facility characteristic and arrange specific management practices for highway facilities.