Abstract

Rural roads represent an important part of the economy in the Great Plains and Midwest of the United States. As oil exploration in North Dakota increases, the number of vehicles travelling on these roads is also increasing, resulting in significant needs for infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, including the construction of new bridges. The lifecycle benefit–cost analysis of bridge construction is the overall objective of this research. This paper investigates the benefits of combining travel demand modeling and lifecycle benefit–cost analysis, and demonstrates traffic forecasting using geographic information systems (GIS) and network flow problem. The paper also shows a comparison of the alternative scenarios. The authors demonstrate a method of integrating geographic information systems, operations research, and data analytics to estimate future traffic by evaluating infrastructure needs. The travel demand modeling is essential for the lifecycle benefit–cost analysis. This study would help government agencies and construction companies evaluate and prioritize new bridge construction projects. The agencies should consider adding the environmental costs.

Highlights

  • Rural roads are an important component of economic and social activities in the Great Plains and Midwest of the United States

  • This paper presents a case study of a lifecycle benefit–cost analysis (BCA) of a bridge constructed on the rural road system in North Dakota

  • This paper investigates the benefits of combining travel demand modeling and lifecycle benefit–cost analysis, and demonstrates how to integrate geographic information systems (GIS), operations research, and data analytics for evaluating alternative scenarios

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Summary

Introduction

Tolliver and Dybing [5] presented a comprehensive study of the investment needs for the roads in North Dakota because of the recent boom in oil exploration. In their report on oil transportation in western North Dakota and eastern Montana, Dybing et al [6] provided a detailed analysis of the infrastructure investment needs in the state to support the increased traffic volume. Considering this increased traffic volume, it is important to consider different options to accommodate it. This paper presents a case study of a lifecycle benefit–cost analysis (BCA) of a bridge constructed on the rural road system in North Dakota.

Literature Review
Methodology
Case Study
GIS Model
Benefit and Cost Calculation
Discussions
Findings
Conclusions and Future Research
Full Text
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