Infrastructure Improvement Projects Research Articles

Public Velation Activities on Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement and Rural Development Projects in Areas of Below Sea Level

Public Velation Activities on Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement and Rural Development Projects in Areas of Below Sea Level

Feasibility of Computer Visualization in Highway Development: A Fuzzy Logic-Based Approach

: Building transportation infrastructure requires careful planning and design with due consideration to land and environmental impacts. Imprecise assessments of detailed design requirements, and land and environmental impacts lead to frequent scope changes of transportation infrastructure improvement projects. Computer visualization (CV) and geographic information systems (GIS) can greatly assist in understanding the detailed design requirements as well as land and environmental impacts. However, the application of CV is quite limited in transportation primarily because of the limited knowledge of its benefits over cost. This study investigates the feasibility of CV in modeling highway improvement sections. Two potential benefits are realized through the proposed modeling: (1) better representation of future improvements resulting in enhanced public and political support and (2) early identification of adverse environmental and land impacts as well as detail design requirements resulting in fewer scope changes. A fuzzy logic-based general approach is proposed to calculate the expected benefits of CV. A computer code called the Projection Option Processor (POP) is developed in Microstation's BASIC language to automate repetitive tasks in the visualization procedure. Two real highway projects from Maryland are visualized and the benefits and costs of the visualization are estimated using the proposed fuzzy logic-based approach. The results indicate that using POP is cost-effective resulting in higher benefit-cost ratios (B/C). Increasing the number of views, alternatives, and reevaluations for visualization may increase the total visualization cost significantly.

Publicity Work about Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement and Rural Development Project

Publicity Work about Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement and Rural Development Project

Case Studies Demonstrating a Systematic Process for Integrating the National Environmental Policy Act with Regulatory Agency Consultation

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the basic national charter that establishes policy, sets goals, and provides a framework for comprehensive environmental planning. NEPA directs federal agencies to undertake an integrated environmental planning process that encompasses the totality of environmental resources. The NEPA process contains “action-forcing” mechanisms that prompt agencies to consult with other agencies possessing specialized expertise or regulatory jurisdiction over a potentially affected resource. Many of these consultations satisfy specific regulatory requirements through resource-specific regulations such as Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The case studies presented within this article are used to demonstrate a 9-step integrated process for integrating regulatory agency consultations and supporting studies with the completion of an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The three case studies (Case Study 1, a Supplemental EIS for the Meramec Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant; Case Study 2, an EA for a variety of water infrastructure improvement projects; and Case Study 3, an EA for the placement of an undersea cable within a National Marine Sanctuary) illustrate how regulatory agency consultations can be integrated into the NEPA process using this 9-step method. Implementation of the method ensures that (1) adequate planning, crucial project decisions, and environmental considerations are identified; (2) the chance of potential conflicts with regulatory agencies because of inadequate regulatory considerations is reduced; (3) timely and costly delays in the completion of the NEPA process are avoided; and (4) the NEPA process is streamlined to produce a legally defensible and comprehensive NEPA document.

New Construction Recycling System for Public Works in Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement Projects and Rural Development

New Construction Recycling System for Public Works in Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement Projects and Rural Development

Information System for Risks, Costs, and Benefits of Infrastructure Improvement Projects

Several approaches to performance assessment for selecting projects for highway infrastructure improvement are synthesized. In a planning cycle, highway agency divisions face many diverse candidates for maintenance and improvements, originating from public demand, accident data, engineering judgment, and local officials. Resources are limited, and selection factors to consider include crash risk reduction, travel time savings, economic development, environmental protection, aesthetics, and capital and maintenance costs. This article describes the adoption of quantitative metrics for some factors, their estimation with varying precision for about 30 actual projects, graphical project comparison, and a related application of multiple factors to interchange design. Identified needs include to (a) select appropriate metrics for diverse projects; (b) coordinate information systems; (c) avoid preassigned factor weighting, enabling juxtaposition of quantitative and qualitative factors and invitation of newfactors in a deliberation; (d) interpret public agency planning for citizens and government officials; (e) appreciate any tort liability of generating risk-related data; and (f) address the impacts on saturated, urban networks.

Research on Agriculture Infrastructure Improvement and Rural Development Project Evaluation Methods using External Indices such as Regional Energy Levels

Research on Agriculture Infrastructure Improvement and Rural Development Project Evaluation Methods using External Indices such as Regional Energy Levels

The Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement and Rural Development Project of Upland Field in Hokkaido

The Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement and Rural Development Project of Upland Field in Hokkaido

Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement Project for Large Area of Paddy Field in Niigata Prefecture

Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement Project for Large Area of Paddy Field in Niigata Prefecture