Road Infrastructure Investment Research Articles

PROTOCOL: The effects of road infrastructure, and transport and logistics services interventions on women's participation in informal and formal labour markets in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

PROTOCOL: The effects of road infrastructure, and transport and logistics services interventions on women's participation in informal and formal labour markets in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

Infrastructure, Human Capital and Industrialization in Nigeria

The objective of this paper had been to shed light on the importance of infrastructure and human capital on industrialization in Nigeria using time series data from 1970 to 2014. The methodology adopted in this paper was first to trace the historical background of the data using such tests as mean, minimum and maximum values, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis and Jarque-Bera tests. Second, in order to smoothen the data and reduce white noise, the paper adopted Augmented Dickey-Fuller and Phillips-Perron tests for unit root and for co-integration, the paper used Engle-Granger two-step procedure and Johansen method. The paper captured the interrelationship among the variables with Pairwise Granger causality test. Thirdly, the paper proceeded to use Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimation technique. The co-integration tests using Engle-Granger two-step and Johansen methods showed that the series are co-integrated, thus, the use of OLS satisfies the Best Linear Unbiased Estimator (BLUE) with minimum variance property. The parsimonious results suggest that gross domestic investment, electricity supply and trade openness are the required elements to accelerate the pace of industrialization in Nigeria. This implied that providing adequate and stable supply of electricity, deepening public and private investments as well as opening the economy to the vagaries of international trade has short and long-termed lasting effect on industrial development. The policy perspective is that government should prioritize the generation and distribution of electricity, increase the quantum of investments in road infrastructure and opening of the economy in order to accelerate the pace of industrialization.

A spatial analysis of growth and convergence in Italian provinces: the role of road infrastructure

ABSTRACTA spatial analysis of growth and convergence in Italian provinces: the role of road infrastructure. Regional Studies. The role of road infrastructure in reducing economic disparities is debated in both Europe and the United States. During the 1960s, huge investments in highways significantly reduced the time run between north and south Italy. A spatial analysis of convergence is performed. Results show that the effect of road infrastructure investment was significant but accompanied by a strong polarization between north and south (also emerging from non-parametric analysis) that it failed to prevent, possibly because investment in the south was not large enough to close the accessibility gap with the centre–north, a gap that appears to persist during the subsequent years.

Is road infrastructure investment in China excessive? Evidence from productivity of firms

China's road investment boom since 1990 has often been criticized as excessive. In this paper, we estimate the return to road investment in China due to manufacturing firms’ increased productivity between 1998 and 2007. To address endogeneity in road investment, we estimate the differential impact of road investment on firms with heterogeneous reliance on transport. Although some investment may be inefficient, our finding does not support the claim that road investment in China is excessive overall. The annual rate of return from productivity gains alone amounts to approximately 11%, partly due to positive spatial spillover. We find little return to road investment in inland China around 2000, but this has significantly improved since the mid-2000s. Our findings are robust to controlling for road quality, railroad investment, and variant markups of firms due to market demand and price shocks.

Adapting spatial conditions to reduce car dependency in mid-sized ‘post growth’ European city regions: The case of South Limburg, Netherlands

Defining Car Dependency (CD) as a lack of travel choices to daily destinations, this paper explores how possible changes in the spatial context of a post-growth, mid-sized urban region can affect the conditions for CD. In the most rural parts of the region distances to schools and shops will exceed walking and biking distances. Distances to work will increase on average. With the bicycle and e-bicycle fewer jobs will be accessible, although the e-bicycle shows greater reach than public transport. Despite the population and job decline, more jobs will be accessible by car, as a result of current investments in road infrastructure. This is enhanced by the ongoing development of economic centers along the highways, resulting in a growing mismatch between the rail system and the spatial economic structure of the region.We developed policy scenarios to explore spatial conditions for reducing car-dependence within the region. Intensifying land uses along the axes of public transport has a limited effect in a shrinking region. Introducing direct and fast public transport connections to the existing economic centers however does have effect. We tested two transport policy scenarios, one based on improving Inter City (IC) rail services on the existing rail network and one based on creating Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services on the existing highways. The IC- scenario makes more jobs accessible outside the current daily urban system, while the BRT- scenario intensifies relations within the region. With regards to CD ‘three worlds’ seem to be emerging in this medium-sized, ‘post growth’ region. Rural areas (10–15% of the population in 2030) are increasingly becoming completely car dependent, suburban areas (65 –75% of the population) are offering travel choices to daily amenities, but increasingly becoming more car dependent in relation to jobs, and central urban areas (15–20% of the population) are providing travel choices to amenities as well as jobs, but only under the condition of improving the regional public transport system.

Transport infrastructure costs in low-carbon pathways

The rate and manner in which transport infrastructure (e.g. roads, railway tracks, airports) is deployed, will play an important role in determining energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions and the economic impact of the transport sector. This paper describes an exercise where the costs of infrastructure deployment for the transport sector have been incorporated into the IMACLIM-R Global E3 IAM. In addition to adding these costs, the modelling of the criteria for the deployment of infrastructure for roads has also been improved. It is found that this model recalibration results in a more accurate baseline as compared to historically observed data (2001–2013) for investments in energy demand, road infrastructure, and passenger kilometers travelled. Regarding macroeconomic effects, it is found that the imposition of a carbon emission trajectory to 2100 cause GDP to decrease relative to the newly calibrated baseline – this is a standard IAM result. However, when the deployment of infrastructure for roads and air travel is further constrained, the GDP loss is less than with a fixed carbon emission trajectory only. This is because early restriction of infrastructure for roads and air travel allows an expansion of public transport infrastructure which is adequate to meet low-carbon transport service demand whereas when less public transport infrastructure is available, more costly mitigation investments must be made in other parts of the economy. This suggests that restricting infrastructure deployment as a complementary policy to carbon pricing, lowers the cost of mitigation.

Economy-wide Impact of Investment in Road Infrastructure in Ethiopia: A Recursive Dynamic CGE Approach

In this study an attempt has been made to examine economy wide impact of investment in road infrastructure using a recursive dynamic CGE model. The study used an updated version of the 2005/06 EDRI Social Accounting Matrix. Simulations with the CGE model confirm that with the increasing availability of road infrastructure, there is a positive growth on the macroeconomic and sectorial indicators (Real GDP, absorption, investment, private consumption, real export, and real import) though the magnitude of the effects is relatively small compared with the high investment costs and the changes vary among the different indicators. Similarly, the demand for labor, capital, land and livestock increases with increasing availability of road infrastructure. Income from livestock and land responds better compared to labor and capital as road investment increases. Welfare, measured as equivalent variation, increases on average and at the disaggregate level for all households. The rural poor benefited more from road investment in terms of earning better income and consumption. Road infrastructure affects the production sectors differently. Industrial sectors benefit, while agricultural sectors are relatively less favored. Keywords : Road, infrastructure, CGE, Ethiopia

National infrastructure, small towns and sustainable mobility – experiences from policy and strategy in two Swedish municipalities

This study explores the implications of improved access to national rail and road infrastructure for urban planning and land use in two small Swedish towns. The promotion of sustainable mobility is considered a strategic objective at the municipal level, yet the study questions the extent to which national investments, and increased access to regional labour markets, support local efforts to increase sustainable mobility. The results indicate that municipalities struggle to adopt coherent approaches to increasing sustainable mobility and continue to develop physical plans that induce use of motor vehicles, a trend reinforced by national investments in road infrastructure in peri-urban areas.

Mapping the lived experiences of Bangkok’s soi

<p>One of the most distinctive urban characteristics of Bangkok is its <em>sois</em>. <em>Soi</em> is an alley that branches out from the main thoroughfares. This terminology applies to both the artery system of streets and canals. <em>Soi</em> is considered as a sub-street or a tertiary type in the hierarchy of the streets of Bangkok, the spatial layout of which follows old agricultural patterns of the water based settlement. They produce the labyrinth-like spatial and social configurations initiated by various agreements and practices between the landowners and residents. The public investment in road infrastructure couldn’t cope with the speed of urbanisation in Bangkok. Apart from the main roads constructed by the public authorities, the <em>soi</em> where the majority of population in Bangkok lives is created by private initiative.<br />For this paper, I only present part of the bigger project, which is still on going. In this very initial state of my investigation, I focus only on one family; mine.</p>

Can environmental awareness explain declining preference for car-based mobility amongst generation Y? A qualitative examination of learn to drive behaviours

Preference for private, motorised transportation grew substantially throughout the global North, during the 20th Century. Through this time rates of licencing, and car ownership, and vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) rose across age groups. This had a range of environmental and social equity implications, and ignited a priority for investment in road infrastructure. The system of automobility was cemented by lock-in through the assemblage of infrastructure, technologies, policies and behaviours supporting, and frequently requiring, car based mobility. Yet recent evidence has shown that generation Y (18–35year olds) are practicing mobility in different ways to earlier generations. Stabilising and declining rates of VKT, licencing and vehicle ownership have been identified in a range of industrialised countries. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this paper draws from theories of social practice and the theory of planned behaviour, as two traditions to examine what people ‘do’, focusing on the social and the individual respectively. It examines the motivations to learn to drive (LTD), and the preference for driving in New Zealand, a highly car-dependent country, empirically drawing from 51 qualitative interviews. A series of meta-themes are presented and used to explain intended and actual behaviour relating to driving practices. The empirical research finds a diversity of highly nuanced interpretations of LTD, some of which reflect individual characteristics, whilst other interpretations are best understood grounded in a wider societal reading of contemporary trends and meanings. Frequently, justification for learning to drive goes beyond the competency and capacity to drive independently. Implications for policy and planning are detailed.

Colombia en el post-acuerdo y el rol de la infraestructura de transporte

The peace agreement between the national government and FARC will bring great challenges in terms of transport infrastructure. The inhabitants of regions that have been forgotten by the state, will be able to take their products to municipal markets, access to products imported from other places (reducing self-consumption), and move without the restrictions usually suffer from the absence of roads in good conditions. This article discusses the benefits that will bring investment in road infrastructure for Colombian rural households.

How Do Road Infrastructure Investments Affect the Regional Economy? Evidence from Spain

This paper analyses the relationship between road infrastructure improvements and investment in capital assets. Using aggregate data at a provincial level for 1977-2008, an equation for machinery and equipment investment is estimated applying Panel Corrected Standard Errors. The results indicate that the long-term elasticities of investment in relation to market potential, GDP and average years of schooling are 0.90, 0.75 and 0.80, respectively. Additionally, the long run impact of a road infrastructure investment policy is assessed. We find that the elasticities of investment in machinery and equipment, capital stock and GDP in relation to travel time are 1.18, 0.33 and 0.11, respectively.

Aspects of Management and Road Maintenance in Albania

Safety of road network is an essential part of economic and social development of any industrialized country. Decisions to maintain and improve the reliability, functionality and infrastructure structures can only be achieved through integrated planning and management life cycle routes. Always it has been a tendency to revise road maintenance strategies, but there is still a serious and reliable administration not only because of the shortage of funds, but also problems due to the reorganization of the system. Safety and performance of the road system depends on the continuous activity of road maintenance management. For it to be effective, it is necessary to intervene before depreciation has caused irreparable damages, or damages with a high economic cost of repairs. Investment in road infrastructure during 2006-2014 show that the life of these projects presents problems with maintenance and performance management life cycle in a wide range of component elements. Maintenance planning involves various problems that depend on the degree of degradation of the asphalt layers, the degree of deterioration of road structures (roads, tunnels, culverts, and economic planning of resources to repair them. The aim of this study is the first to provide a brief summary of the issues in the field of maintenance and management of the life cycle of investments in road infrastructure, proposing ways to reorganize the sector of management and maintenance of roads in the next and second testing and evaluation of the work and the nature of the standards are different types of road infrastructure projects, through a methodology consisting of a) development, b) collection of data, and c) analysis.

Un sistema de gestión de pavimentos basado en nuevas tecnologías para países en vía de desarrollo

The rapid growth of science and technology has led to the development of increasingly accurate solutions to the various problems facing modern society. In pavement management processes, it is possible to develop enabling technologies for functional assessment of pavements. This article proposes and discusses the implementation of a system for developing countries, which is based on new technologies which facilitate the collection and analysis of information for pavement management processes with low cost and reasonable time duration. The proposed system uses a vehicle equipped with components that automate the registration and geographic location of pavement damages and generate maps of road deterioration through WEB platforms, which can be used to support policy decisions on road infrastructure investment.

Development of a Polymer Modified Flexible Pavement Material for Sustainable Pavement System

In Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ( KSA) number of vehicles increased dramatically with an annual growth rate of 5 to 6%. This increase in number of vehicles lead to heavy traffic loads which lead to structural problems for the layer of the pavement. There has been a huge amount of investment in road infrastructure. Accordingly, road network is facing different problems in different aspects such as bituminous materials, loading and design method. A detailed experimentation has been carried out to investigate and evaluate the binder, aggregate and mixture composition, air void, materials characterization and improving pavement performance by using five different types of polymers with different concentrations. Several mixes were tested using Marshal tests. Dynamic shear Rheometer used to characterize bitumen and modified bitumen. Results show that use of plastomer polymers types (e.g. Polybilt-101, EE2) to modify the asphalt binder by improving their physical and rheological properties to meet the performance requirements is effective. It is possible to use different types of polymers (LDPE and HDPE) and different percentage of polymer concentration to achieve the performance requirements (e.g. PG 70 can be achieved by using 3% of EE2 or 4% of Polybilt).. It can concluded that the asphalt 60/70 pen grade which is used today in eastern province, KSA, meets the performance requirements to resist the main distress of flexible pavement. The asphalt binder behavior affects the performance of asphaltic concrete mixes. However, there are several important characteristics of asphalt binder (e.g. the adhesion of asphalt binder to aggregate) should be evaluated besides modification of asphalt binders.

COLOMBIA EN EL POST-ACUERDO Y EL ROL DE LA INFRAESTRUCTURA DE TRANSPORTE

The peace agreement between the national government and FARC will bring great challenges in terms of transport infrastructure. The inhabitants of regions that have been forgotten by the state, will be able to take their products to municipal markets, access to products imported from other places (reducing self-consumption), and move without the restrictions usually suffer from the absence of roads in good conditions. This article discusses the benefits that will bring investment in road infrastructure for Colombian rural households.

Impactos de investimentos em infraestruturas rodoviárias sobre o desenvolvimento regional no Brasil - possibilidades e limitações

<p>Este artigo objetiva analisar as possibilidades e as limitações dos impactos produzidos por investimentos em infraestruturas rodoviárias sobre o crescimento econômico em nível local e regional. A discussão está apoiada em conceitos e experiências relatadas na literatura sobre as relações entre infraestruturas de transportes rodoviários e a dinâmica econômica regional, sob a ótica da economia espacial, mais especificamente sobre a teoria da decisão da localização de empresas; e sob a abordagem da economia dos transportes, que relaciona o tráfego gerado e induzido com as atividades econômicas. Como objeto empírico foram analisados os resultados, em nível regional, dos efeitos da duplicação da BR-232-PE, trecho Recife-São Caetano com 150 km de extensão, aberta ao tráfego em 2004, com período de avaliação até o final de 2010. As conclusões enfatizam a capacidade das infraestruturas rodoviárias em impactar positivamente na região diretamente beneficiada com relação ao crescimento da produção agregada, à geração de empregos, à abertura de novas empresas e ao crescimento da massa salarial. No entanto, observa-se também, que este projeto não foi capaz de: (i) produzir um crescimento equilibrado na região; (ii) alterar as relações hierárquicas entre as cidades; (iii) estimular a distribuição da renda; e (iv) ajudar a promover a sustentabilidade fiscal no nível das finanças públicas dos municípios beneficiados. </p>

Accessibility and transport infrastructure improvement assessment: The role of borders and multilateral resistance

The market potential indicator is a commonly used tool in transport planning for evaluating the potential economic effects derived from improvements in transport infrastructures. The general assumption is that exports from a given region will rise with increased accessibility, thus benefiting economic activities. However, the specification of the market potential model is typically very simple and ignores both the impact of competing rivals and the role of international borders, which leads to unrealistic results. Spatial interaction models on bilateral trade have already proved that international trade is affected by multilateral resistance, borders, adjacency, language or currency. Nevertheless, apart from some recent analyses that simply calibrate the distance decay parameter from trade datasets, these variables have hardly been integrated into research on market potential. This paper sets out to demonstrate that more realistic results are obtained by calibrating the distance-decay parameter and introducing the impact of competing rivals and border effects into the market potential formulation. The proposed model is then applied to the assessment of the accessibility impacts of new road transport infrastructure in the European Union between 2001 and 2012, which shows that the greatest improvements in accessibility were experienced by peripheral countries with high road infrastructure investment.

Domestic road infrastructure and international trade: Evidence from Turkey

Drawing on the large-scale public investment in roads undertaken in Turkey during the 2000s, this paper contributes to our understanding of how internal transportation infrastructure affects regional access to international markets. Using data on international trade of Turkish provinces and the change in the capacity of the roads connecting them to the international gateways of the country, we estimate the distance elasticity of trade associated with roads of varying capacity. Three key results emerge. First, the cost of an average shipment over a high-capacity expressway is about 70% lower than it is over single-lane roads. Second, the present value of a 10-year stream of trade flows generated by a one-dollar investment in road infrastructure ranges between $0.7 and $2. Third, the reduction in transportation costs is greater the more transportation-sensitive an industry is. To the extent that efficient logistics enable countries to take part in global supply chains and exploit their comparative advantages, our findings have important developmental implications.

Assessment of the Impact of New Investments on Flood Hazard-Study Case: The Bridge on the Warta River near Wronki

The main concern of the study was the evaluation of the impact of new investment in road infrastructure on the flood hazard. The flood hazard is considered here on the basis of maps according to requirements of EU Flood Directive. The analyses presented were made for the Warta river, near the town of Wronki. The procedure included data collection and processing, model configuration, hydraulic simulation, generation of water surface profiles, and flood hazard maps. The ArcGIS tools, as well as HEC-RAS package, were used in this research. The model recalibration described in the paper provided excellent results according to independent criteria. Hence, the results obtained may be considered as valid. Finally the results reconstructing the conditions with and without the bridge are compared. The assessed impact of the bridge seems to be moderate, but the procedure proposed in the presented paper may be of wider application. In view of the EU Flood Directive and plans for investments in road infrastructure, the methodology presented seems very attractive.