Role Of Transport Infrastructure Research Articles

A Variable-Weight Model for Evaluating the Technical Condition of Urban Viaducts

Urban viaducts play a crucial role in transportation infrastructure and are closely linked to urban resilience. Accurate evaluation of their structural technical condition forms the basis for the scientific maintenance of urban viaducts. Currently, there is a lack of technical condition evaluation specifications for viaducts in China, and the existing bridge specifications that are similar do not fully align with the facility composition characteristics and maintenance management needs of viaducts. Therefore, this paper presents a technical condition assessment model for viaducts, based on existing bridge specifications. Considering the frequent damage to ancillary facilities of viaducts, the utilization of maintenance resources, and the impact on traffic operations, the model proposed in this paper adopts the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to introduce a new indicator layer for ancillary facilities. Subsequently, the weight values and deduction values of each layer of the model, as well as the findings of damage recorded in the new components, were determined using the Group Decision-Making (GDM) method and the Delphi method. This process forms a constant-weight evaluation model for assessing the technical condition of viaducts. Finally, to account for the impacts of significant damage to low-weight components on the structural condition, the variable-weight method was adopted to establish a comprehensive evaluation model with variable weights, which was then validated using practical viaduct examples. The results indicate that the variable-weight model provides a more accurate representation of the technical condition of viaducts, especially when components are severely damaged. Furthermore, this study examines the suitable conditions for implementing the constant-weight evaluation model and the variable-weight evaluation model, demonstrating that the variable-weight model is recommended when there is a significant disparity in the scores among the viaduct components, whereas the constant-weight model is applicable in other scenarios.

Texture Depth Measurement using a Micro-volume Measurement Technique for Gyratory Compactor Specimens

Introduction: Road safety plays a pivotal role in transportation infrastructure, as the quality of road surfaces is a crucial factor in ensuring safe driving conditions. One of the main indicators of road quality is the Mean texture depth (MTD), which greatly affects a vehicle's traction and skid resistance. Multiple methods are available for analyzing fabric depth, with the volumetric method, known as the sand patch test and standardized under ASTM E 965 – 96, being the traditional approach. Aim: This research aims to adapt a Sand Patch test procedure to evaluate surface texture depth on laboratory specimens with a 100 mm diameter and determine the required amount of sand, both in terms of weight and volume, to conduct this test effectively. Methods: To achieve this, the relationship between the amount of sand required and the sample size was determined. Two different types of asphalt mixtures were studied Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) and Asphalt Concrete (AC), with five gradation limits for each. Results: In the case of the AC10 mixture, the MTD ranged from 0.60 to 1.139 mm, while in SMA 20, the MTD ranged from 1.91 to 2.574 mm. These results are consistent with previous studies, confirming the reliability of the testing methodology, even when working with limited sample areas. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study highlights the potential simplicity and cost-effectiveness of using the Sand Patch micro-volume measurement method. When employed at the initial design stage, this method can provide valuable insights into surface texture, enhancing the design process and potentially further improving road safety.

The role of transport infrastructure in economic growth: Empirical evidence in the UK

Since 2015, the United Kingdom (UK) has increased its investment in transportation infrastructure to compensate for years of underinvestment in comparison with peer countries. It is of critical importance to evaluate the effect of these recent investments, as well as historical ones, on economic development, both theoretically and empirically, to provide guidance on future infrastructure investment. However, few research looks into such policy adjustment on economic growth in the UK. To fill this gap, this paper investigates the relationship between transport infrastructure development and economic growth in the UK from different time spans. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to construct a comprehensive measure of transport infrastructure development. This paper then applies Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to investigate both long-run and short-run relationships between transport infrastructure development and economic growth from 1970 to 2017 in the UK. Empirical results suggest that transportation infrastructure has a long-run promotive effect on economic development. However, in the short run, this effect turns out to be significantly negative. The analysis of this paper indicates differentiated roles that the UK's transport infrastructure played in economic growth, which should be considered in future policy design of achieving economic sustainability in the UK.

Assessment of the Reliability of the Development of Infrastructure Projects on Transport in the Russian Federation

The role of transport infrastructure in the development of the modern economy is an indisputable fact. For the modern Russian economy, issues related to the development of investment projects in the infrastructure sector are especially relevant. This is due to the large distances between producers of products and their consumers, and especially between foreign markets and domestic producers working for export. At the same time the long-term nature of financial investments and their volumes significantly reduce the level of attractiveness of infrastructure projects in the transport sector for private investors. The limited possibilities of budgets at all levels in terms of the development of infrastructure projects, additional problems in the domestic economy caused by political decisions at the beginning of 2022, seriously limit the possibility of development in the area we are considering. It is necessary to make serious efforts to develop the transport infrastructure and strengthen the information component of this process. The development of basic approaches to the implementation of a policy aimed at developing the transit capabilities of our country is determined by the influence of many factors, including geopolitical ones. Thus, the key importance of the transport infrastructure for the further development of the transit potential of our country determines the relevance of solving issues.

Substantiation of tariffs for using toll roads: socio-economic aspect

The socio-economic development of the region depends on many factors, but the role of transport infrastructure in this process cannot be overestimated. The construction of new roads, airports, and railways is a barometer of the dynamic and successful development of the territory and its economic or political role in the region and the global economic space. Attracting private investment in the construction of roads and their further paid operation raises the most difficult question of justifying tariffs for road users. When resolving this issue, one cannot limit oneself to a commercial approach based on the cost recovery mechanism and marginal profitability, it is necessary to take into account the level of solvency of potential users of the toll road, the socio-economic level of development of the territory where it is supposed to be operated, as well as the presence of potential strategic points of economic growth that can become a trigger for further socio-economic transformations in the region. In this regard, the development of methodological approaches to substantiate tariffs for using toll roads, taking into account external socio-economic factors, is one of the determining conditions for a reasonable decision-making on attracting private and public investments in transport infrastructure facilities.

The role of transportation infrastructure on the impact of natural hazards on communities

Transportation infrastructure are critical systems supporting community well-being. Its impairment or failure due to hazardous events can lead to societal consequences which are typically challenging to identify, properly model, and quantify. Additionally, these consequences can exacerbate pre-existing distributive inequalities. The Capability Approach has been used to identify and quantify societal consequences in post-disaster scenarios. This paper introduces novel connectivity-based metrics within a Capability Approach framework to quantify well-being and distributive justice in the aftermath of a hazardous event. The paper proposes a methodology to link the ability of individuals to maintain health, be sheltered, be mobile, be educated, or earn income with the loss or reduction of functionality of transportation infrastructure, investigating both the short-term response (immediate impact), and the long-term recovery on the capabilities. As an example, the paper applies the proposed metrics to a real community subject to a seismic hazard. Results show that the different capabilities are impacted both in the response and recovery phases to different degrees.

Tourism, transport infrastructure and income inequality: A panel data analysis of China

ABSTRACT This study investigated the dynamic relationship between tourism, transport infrastructure, and income inequality using the novel panel data of China over 2000–2018. The results show the bidirectional Granger causality between highway and tourism and a unidirectional Granger causality running from railway to tourism for the national sample. Tourism significantly affects China's income inequality; however, this impact is minimal. Besides, tourism and transport infrastructure have a synergy effect on China's income inequality. Given the importance of tourism and transport infrastructure to economic growth in many developing countries, this study is conducive to broader debates over the role of transport infrastructure in tourism-induced inclusive growth in its policy implications for national development strategies and equitable development.

Embodied greenhouse gas assessment of a bridge: A comparison of preconstruction Building Information Model and construction records

This paper presents an embodied GHG assessment of a completed highway bridge renewal project in Canada and offers new insights on the strengths and limitations of BIM-based GHG assessments. Bridges play a critical role in transportation infrastructure. As reducing environmental impacts has taken on increasing urgency across the construction sector, bridges have received relatively little study. A quantitative understanding of the embodied greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in bridges is needed to inform future infrastructure planning, design, and construction. Recent efforts to streamline environmental assessment in construction have led to the creation and adoption of Building Information Model (BIM)-based embodied GHG assessments, taking advantage of the quantity take-off functionality of BIM. However, as BIMs are rarely developed with environmental assessment as the primary goal, their effectiveness for GHG accounting can be limited. GHG assessments of the case study bridge using a BIM prepared before construction and using material and energy quantities records collected on-site during construction, are compared. Using only the quantities from preconstruction BIM, the embodied GHG for the case study bridge is 1.3 × 106 kgCO2e. After the adjustments for on-site data collection and factors commonly excluded from BIM, such as on-site fuel use from machinery, it rises to 4.06 × 106 kgCO2e, an increase of 212%. Results illustrate the need to change the scope and detail of BIMs if they are to be effective for embodied GHG assessment, and the potential limitations of using BIM in embodied GHG assessment.

Конкурентная политика в системе стратегического планирования

The article considers the potential of linking the methodology and tools of competition policy with the main mechanisms of strategic management planning aimed at achieving the priority goals of the state, including the processes of goal setting, forecasting and planning the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation and the positive dynamics of its competitiveness. The article analyzes the trends and highlights the principles of deployment of the process of forming a systemic springboard of competition institutions as an element of state economic policy. Special attention is paid to a new spatial strategy containing proposals to counteract inter-regional imbalances and mitigate imbalances in the socio-economic conditions of individual regions. The main trends and problems of development of the national economic space are analyzed. The role of the human factor as a leading specific factor in competitive relations is emphasized. The author analyzes regional development imbalances that are systemic in nature and, of course, have a negative impact on markets and the quality of their competitive environment, as well as macroeconomic indicators. The role of transport infrastructure in reducing the level of interregional differentiation in the socio-economic development of the subjects of the Russian Federation and stimulating competitive relations is updated. The assessment of the level of competition development in the country is given; the work carried out by the state at all hierarchical levels of the economy in the field of competition development, including the influence of the state on business activity. There are two main directions of activation of competitive relations in the framework of strategic planning: methodological and organizational and economic.

Determinants of FDI in France: Role of transport infrastructure, education, financial development and energy consumption

AbstractThis article explores the effect of education and transportation infrastructure on foreign direct investment for the French economy over the period of 1965–2017. Economic growth, financial development and electricity consumption are also considered as additional determinants of foreign direct investment. In so doing, the SOR unit root test is applied in order to examine unit root properties of variables in the presence of sharp and smooth structural breaks in the series. To examine the presence of cointegration between the variables, the bootstrapping ARDL cointegration test is applied. The empirical results show the presence of cointegration between the variables. Education and transportation add to foreign direct investment. Financial development declines foreign direct investment. The relationship between electricity consumption (economic growth) and foreign direct investment is bidirectional. The nonlinear relationship between education (transportation infrastructure) and foreign direct investment is U‐shaped.

Patterns of urban land use in a developing country: the role of transport infrastructure and natural amenities in Brazil

ABSTRACT The paper investigates the determinants of urban land use for the city of Recife, Brazil. Using microdata on 98,198 individual parcels and a conditionally parametric spatial multinomial logit model, it is shown that there are considerable spatial heterogeneities in the studied intra-urban context. Additionally, some general patterns of land use are identified: transport infrastructure tends to attract commercial activities, while natural amenities tend to encourage residential development. Finally, on average, the probability of unimproved lots is greater in the immediate vicinity of the historic city centre, and verticalization is greater in areas near the city centre and natural amenities.

Сущность и роль транспортной инфраструктуры в социально-экономическом развитии региона

Сущность и роль транспортной инфраструктуры в социально-экономическом развитии региона

How the Government Quality can Help Boosting Infrastructure Investment and Economic Growth? A Closer Look at Indonesia’s Practice

Extant literatures have suggested that the quality of infrastructure determines the successfulness of development occurred in a nation. It includes providing good transportation infrastructures e.g. roads, river, sea, air and railways that not only can facilitate people’ movement abut also improve outcomes of business cycles connected through various transportation system. infrastructure, especially transportation infrastructure, which includes roads, rivers, sea, air and railways. In the case of the Indonesian economy with the classic issue of poor government governance, the weak role of transportation infrastructure in the national development tends to be in line with the low service quality and limited scope of services on the transportation-related sectors symbolizing ineffectiveness of existing transportation infrastructure to boost the economic growth of the nation. This paper aims to analyze the relationship among government quality, investment in transportation infrastructure and economic growth in Indonesia over 2000 – 2017 period. The results of data analysis indicates that road length has a positive relationship with economic growth in the first 5 years and shows a negative relationship in the following year. The contribution of loading and unloading of domestic shipping goods on the economic growth only occurred in 2010. More interestingly, the quality of government reflected from unqualified opinion for the financial statements of Ministry of Transportation of Republic of Indonesia shows no impact to the infrastructure investment especially from foreign direct investment.

Sustainable intra-country transportation system: a panacea for African regional economic integration

This study examined the scope of African’s regional economic integration and the role of transport infrastructure, domestic trade, trade facilitation, intra-African trade, market competitiveness, policies and planning, and regional economic communities (RECs). Trade and not aid, is the new mantra for those clamouring for unique solutions to solving African problems instead of soliciting for funds outside the continent. However, the figures for intra-Africa trading have not been impressive mostly due to infrastructural conditions. Trade and transport barriers lessen the competitiveness of locally manufactured goods. It is argued that a sustainable intra-country transport infrastructure has an immense impact on macroeconomics and development, therefore, it is an irreplaceable factor for wider economic integration. As such, single markets can merge with the regional ones with the aid of protocols and resolutions at the regional economic communities. The focus is entirely placed on the road transport because it is the mainstay of most African economies. An assessment was done on transport policies in Nigeria, as an example and some regional efforts too to improve the sector’s condition.

Инфраструктурные ограничения развития транспортно-логистической системы Свердловской области

The article focuses on the role of transport infrastructure in the formation of transport-logistical system in the region. The analysis of the dynamics and structure of goods distribution and passenger transportation in the context presented in the Sverdlovsk region modes of transport. The infrastructural constraints typical of Sverdlovsk region in terms of modes of transport: rail, road, air. Defined strategic directions for overcoming the current situation in the medium term.

Highway access and the critical distance to an industrial location: a survival analysis

The role of transport infrastructure in regional economic growth has recently attracted a number of researches from a wide range of research fields. This study is aimed to investigate the geographical range of the positive impact of transport infrastructure in terms of the distribution of new industrial locations. The result indicates that there is the critical distance between highway interchanges and plant locations, where a fixed share of new plant locations are distributed. An application of survival analysis revealed that 50% of new manufacturing plants are distributed with a 5 km radius to highway interchanges in recent years. And, only 10% of new plants can survive, when the distance to highway become longer than 20 km.

Development of a Risk Framework for Forecasting Earthquake Losses in Port Systems

Ports play a critical role in transportation infrastructure but are vulnerable to seismic hazards. Downtime and reduced throughput from seismic damage in ports results in significant business interruption losses for port stakeholders. Managing risks from systemwide disruptions resulting from earthquake damage has been studied as a central element of a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) program. Presented are the concepts and methods developed for the seismic risk management of a portwide system of berths. The framework used to calculate port losses is discussed, particularly the use of spatially correlated ground motion intensity measures that estimate damage to pile-supported wharves and container cranes, the repair costs and downtimes subsequently determined via repair models for both types of structures, and the impact on cargo handling operations calculated via logistical models of the port system. Results, expressed in the form of loss exceedance curves, are calculated.

Infrastructure and Coffee Exports’ Fluctuations in a Small Open Economy: Case of Togolese Economy

In the current context of boosting economic growth based on agriculture, the traditional determinants seem insufficient. It is therefore necessary to establish the role of non-classical factors that influence the evolution of agricultural exports. Thus, this paper aims to establish the role of transportation infrastructure in determining coffee exports in Togo’s economy. Firstly, the principal component analysis technique is used to construct a proxy of transportation infrastructure. Then the Error Correction Model is estimated under the gravity model framework. The data used in this study come mainly from FAO database, World Bank database and cover the period 1980-2014. The results reveal that transportation infrastructure is a good pillar for coffee exports enhancement in the short and long run. In addition, domestic production has a positive and significant effect on coffee exports. Regarding global factors, only the exchange rate affects long-term coffee exports. In terms of policy message, increase in transportation infrastructure investment is a strategy for increasing coffee exports.

The Place and Role of Transport Infrastructure in the Interregional Integration of the Russian Federation Regions

Abstract On the basis of the rail transport competitiveness analysis, which is the main mode of transport for the bulk goods carriage and plays an important role in the movement of goods across the Russian Federation one can determine the place and role of transport infrastructure in the interregional integration of the Russian Federation regions.

Efficient Use of Regional Transport Infrastructure, Communication Networks, and Human Capital

Infrastructure capital can be considered a necessary condition to extend the regional production potential but not automatically a sufficient requirement for enhanced regional competitiveness and income. The materialization of a region's higher production potential rather relies on the region's ability to utilize the existing and additional infrastructure capital in an efficient way. Against this background, the paper intends to identify Austrian and German regions' environment with public transport infrastructure and their efficiency in using it. Therefore, the role of transport infrastructure is contrasted with the importance of other region-specific production factors namely educational attainments of the workforce and the availability of modern telecommunication networks. In order to increase the comparability of the regions, the latter are clustered according the land use pattern and industrial structure in a first step. In a second step a quantile regression analysis is performed for each cluster and factor. This, in turn, allows for a sequential bottleneck analysis.