Highway expenditures and non-metropolitan employment

Using data on state highway expenditures and employment from 30 Minnesota non-metropolitan counties over a 25-year period, possible interactions between transportation and employment are investigated. While crosssectional analysis suggests no significant interactions, causality tests and time-series analyses indicate that highway expenditures affect manufacturing and retail employment, and employment influences expenditures. Although expenditure increases cause employment improvements in the short-term, long-term effects are less favorable. Highway expenditures respond quickly to increased needs caused by retail improvements.     

Causal linkages between highways and sector-level employment

While transport infrastructure investments have usually been viewed to have long-term impacts on employment, what is perhaps not immediately clear is the direction of causality. This paper has sought to disentangle the causal relationship between highway infrastructure and employment, using panel data for the 48 contiguous US states from 1984 to 1997. Of particular emphasis in this analysis is the sectoral differences in the causal and spatial effects of highway capacity expansions for employment growth in alternative sectors of the economy. The results indicate that lane-mile additions of own-state major highways could increase state employment growth in the services sector while reducing growth in manufacturing. However, the causal relationship is also found to work the other way around. That is, both the rapid growth in services employment and the slowdown in manufacturing jobs temporally lead to increases in roadway capacity of non-interstate major roads. Our analysis also shows that highway infrastructure could produce both positive and negative employment spillovers across states. We find that improvements in non-interstate major roads outside the state border are beneficial to the manufacturing sector which generally serves regional and national markets. For the services sector, however, employment gains from interstate highways in the same state may come at the expense of other states as there is clear evidence of negative employment spillovers from interstate lane-mile additions.     

Donor states and donee states: investigating geographic redistribution of the US federal-aid highway program 1974–2008

In 2009, the US government spent more than $42 billion on the federal-aid highway program. Most of this money was raised from motor vehicle taxes, whose proceeds are deposited in the highway trust fund. Federal motor vehicle user taxes flow into the fund and aid expenditures flow out from it to build and maintain highways and other transportation infrastructure. With so much money at stake it should be no surprise that expenditure decisions are the subject of intense political debate. Chief among these debates is the conflict between donor states, whose residents pay more in highway user taxes than the state receives in federal highway aid and donee states, whose residents pay less in highway user taxes than the state receives in highway aid. While this geographic redistribution has been masked recently by infusions of general fund revenue into the trust fund, the debate nevertheless continues. This paper attempts to understand why some states are donors and others are donees by simultaneously testing four hypotheses about the geographic redistribution of federal highway dollars that relate to a state’s highway need, economic condition, level of urbanization, and representation on the key Congressional oversight committees. The analyses show that redistribution does not favor states with larger highway systems, more highway use, or lower median incomes, all of which are different indicators of need. Instead, states that are less urban and better represented on the four key Congressional committees generally benefit from redistribution. These findings indicate that the user tax revenues are not used in places where they are most needed. Thus they provide little empirical support for any compelling policy argument for continued geographic redistribution of federal highway user tax dollars.     

基于节能环保理念的公路设计方法探讨

随着近些年来公路建设的大力推进,交通运输行业得到了空前巨大的发展,但是伴随着这种发展,一些环境问题也在逐步的凸显,如生态破坏、大气污染、以及水污染等,环境问题日益严重。在当前国家大力倡导环保节能的背景下,整个社会对于节能环保问题越来越重视,因此在进行公路设计时,如何将节能环保理念进行融会贯通是现阶段所需要重视的一个问题。     

我国高速公路财务管理的对策研究

高速公路的快速发展,为社会带来了巨大的经济效益和社会效益,同时也给高管公路的财务管理提出了新的课题。从高速公路财务管理的特点、现阶段存在的问题以及解决问题的对策进行论述。     

The effects of highway development on housing prices

The purpose of this research is to estimate the effects of highway development projects on the price of housing. Transportation development projects, highways in particular, improve a certain area’s accessibility but also increase its levels of exposure to traffic intensity and noise pollution. These externalities are evaluated by homeowners and residents and are reflected in the price of housing. In this paper, we use several repeat sales model specifications, including difference-in-differences estimators, and control for neighborhood effects to examine housing price trends in the municipalities around two newly developed highways in the Netherlands. The results of the research demonstrate that changes in accessibility result in a significant positive effect on the price of housing in nearby municipalities, but that increased noise pollution and traffic intensity levels result in a decrease in prices. The findings also confirm that combining the total effects of all externalities, the effect of highway development on the price of housing is generally positive, and this effect is salient even before the project is completed due to public anticipation effects.     

Integrated approach to determine highway flooding and critical points of drainage

Among the natural hazards that threaten transportation infrastructure, flooding represents a major hazard to highways as it challenges their design, operation, efficiency and safety. In extreme cases, it may lead to massive obstruction of traffic and direct damages to the road structures themselves and indirect damages to the economic activity and development of the region. To enable the prevention of such consequences, and the proposition of adaptive measures for existing infrastructure, this paper presents an integrated framework to identify the most vulnerable points to flooding along a highway. This is done through the combination of remote sensing information (e.g. LiDAR based Digital Elevation Model, satellite imagery), a high-quality dataset, and a quasi-2D hydrodynamic model. The forcing condition is defined using a hyetograph associated to a storm with duration of 1 day and return period of 100 years. The selected highway is located in the Mexican state of Tabasco, where extreme precipitation events and floods are frequent. Results demonstrate the ability of the methodology to identify critical water levels along the road (h > 1.50 m) at those locations where flooding has been experienced, as well as points of inspection for the highway drainage. These locations were visited in the field and maintenance problems were detected that do increase its level of exposure. We show that this framework is useful for the generation of a flood management strategy to the analyzed highway, which includes an optimum location of adaptive measures to an anticipated more intense future climate.     

An examination of the differential impact of highway capital investment on economically disparate Appalachian counties in the USA

Abstract

The economic performance of Appalachian counties in the USA varies substantially across the region. The Appalachian Regional Commission has divided the 410 counties into four major categories: distressed, transitional, competitive, and attainment. This paper applies spatial models that account for spatial interdependence to evaluate the impact of Appalachian highways on economically disparate counties. Using a spatial autoregressive model in a production function framework, it is found that distressed counties gain from highways whereas competitive counties actually suffer from a negative backwash effect that tends to draw productive activity away from these counties into neighboring counties.     

Agricultural vehicles and sustainable safe road traffic: solving conflicts on arterial highways

Addressing the issues of traffic safety in rural areas presents a constant challenge. The mix of light and heavy vehicles and the considerable differences in speed among these traffic participants result in high risks and delays for the faster vehicles. Agricultural vehicles (AVs) in particular have such an impact on traffic, especially when using arterial highways. This paper reviews the problems of safety and delays that AVs cause on arterial highways, and the appropriate mitigation. The concept of 'sustainable safety' in The Netherlands focuses on these problems, because of the proposed construction of parallel roads alongside all arterial highways. However, Dutch accident statistics cannot justify the high costs for the construction of parallel roads alongside 7000 km of arterial highways. Delays experienced by fast traffic are another reason for separating AVs from other road users with parallel roads. Alternative measures alongside the arterial highway, such as passing bays, restricting AVs to travelling at off-peak only and improving the conspicuity of the AVs, may be more cost-effective ways of reducing delays and/or improving traffic safety on arterial highways. Another solution may be to eliminate the need for AVs to use the arterial highway by altering their routes. For this purpose, land reallocation projects (as practised in Holland) can provide a useful tool.     

Effect of capacity concentration on highway corridor performance

This paper investigates, through use of analytical models, the effects of capacity concentration on highway corridor performance. It concludes that when highways operate at a fixed total capacity, decreasing the highway spacing can increase the average travel time because highways will become more congested. When highways operate below capacity, decreasing the spacing is usually beneficial as it tends to reduce trip length when accessing highways, and allows a greater percentage of travel to be completed on highways instead of arterials.     

高等级沥青公路路面水损害及防治措施分析

沥青路面作为我国高等级公路中最常见的路面形式,具有施工速度快、行车舒适度高、噪音小等优点,但在公路的使用过程中,极易产生水损害现象,尤其是在南方降雨量多的季节。本文通过分析沥青公路路面产生水损害的主要原因,针对具体原因提出了相应的防治措施,希望为公路工程的建设和维护提供参考,以提高高等级沥青公路的建设质量和使用年限。     

公路绿化与环保的研究分析

为推动公路建设水平,确保公路正常运营和沿线生态环境可持续发展,文章总结了公路绿化的特点和功能,从安全性、经济性、生物多样性、景观性等方面分析了公路绿化设计的原则,并探讨了公路中央分隔带、路基边坡、互通立交、服务区的绿化设计内容,从公路环保的重要性,认知公路环保的内容、功能及意义,并多方角度的加以分析和采取措施,达到预期效果,把建设和环境紧密协调统一。并对公路环保的设计理念、评价指标、评价方法及施工阶段的环保措施进行了论述。     

基于公路改扩建节能减排造价管理系统的研究

随着节能减排工作的深化和细化,公路基础设施建设的节能减排越来越受到重视。基于全国公路工程造价管理系统和中国生命周期核心数据库,可以快速实现改扩建公路生命周期能耗和碳排放的规范化核算,从而筛选出节能减排效益较优的设计方案。文章通过海南省某省道改扩建项目的实证研究,为设计方案节能减排核算及效益评价提供范例,为优化公路建设行业节能减排管理提供思路。     

智慧高速公路设计案例分析

本文以某智慧高速的设计案例为依托,首先对国内外智慧高速发展和应用现状进行归纳总结,分析认为电动化、智能化的新型运载工具,信息化和功能专业化的基础设施,开放、共享、协同的管理与服务将是未来高速公路三大发展趋势。通过对高速公路使用者和管理者的需求针对性地精准分析,构建面向高速公路使用者和管理者的创新型应用服务。结合新技术的发展趋势,以服务需求为导向,建设"三网合一"智慧高速基础设施和智慧云控平台构成、数据流为驱动的、"开放、包容、创新"的智慧高速公路。基于案例分析的智慧高速规划设计全过程,对于国内智慧高速的整体设计和建设规划具有重要参考价值,探索开辟全新的高速公路智能化建设方向和思路。     

Using the revenues from congestion pricing

The economic theory behind congestion pricing relies on using the revenues to help compensate highway users. But can practical methods of using revenues come close to achieving this compensation, and still have salient appeal to important political groups? This paper investigates the possibilities for designing a package of revenue uses that can achieve these twin goals. The suggested approach returns two-thirds of the revenues to travelers through travel allowances and tax reductions, and uses the rest to improve transportation throughout the area, including affected business centers. By replacing regressive sales and fuel taxes, this approach offsets the tendency of the prices alone to have a regressive distributional impact. By lowering taxes, funding new highways, improving transit, and upgrading business centers, the package provides inducements for support from several key interest groups. The potential amounts of money involved are discussed using nationwide data, and in more detail using a case study of ubiquitous facility pricing throughout the Los Angeles region. Illustrative calculations of the effects on various individuals confirm that such a package can create net benefits for a wide spectrum of people and interest groups.     

加宽五车道和三车道不对称小近距隧道设计

随着交通运输的迅速发展,超大断面小近距高速公路隧道或城市快速干道的建设将成为发展的重点。福州市机场二期隧道初步设计定为加宽五车道,无论是洞室跨度还是设计施工难度均属全国公路隧道之首。对于超大断面隧道来说,扁平率不但直接影响工程造价,而且对结构设计和施工带来新的问题。文章主要通过结构受力和经济比选内轮廓,并通过有限元计算,分析隧道设计的合理性。     

Evaluating the significance of highway network links under the flood damage: An accessibility approach

This paper conducts an analysis to assess the significance of highway network links in Maryland under flood damage. An accessibility index is derived to incorporate the distance-decay effect and the volume of traffic influence on the transportation network. The accessibility level of individual counties and the state as a whole is checked before and after the hypothetical disruption of individual links within the floodplain. The results indicate that critical links identified based on the distance-only and the distance-traffic volume criteria appear to be different, implying that the priority of retrofit might also vary depending on what criterion to choose. The percentage loss of accessibility due to the disruption of a link is generally greater in the latter. However, distance-only consideration results in a more prominent spatial distribution pattern of links in percentage loss induced. Some links remain significant in both cases. Especially if the disruption of a certain link does not have an alternative solution (for example, if the link is the only way in and out of a certain county) and if counties connected by the link are low accessibility counties, the two criteria may produce a similar outcome.     

A dynamic modeling approach to investigate impacts to protected and low-income populations in highway planning

Environmental justice (EJ) assessment has traditionally focused on identifying distributive effects to protected populations. Federal and State highway improvement programs have been established to stimulate economic development for these populations. While this issue has long been recognized as part of EJ initiatives, no quantitative comparisons of highway construction impacts on protected populations have been reported in the literature. This paper presents a dynamic modeling approach to investigate impacts to protected and low-Income populations in highway planning using an integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) optimization framework. Using census and county level parcel data, the model integrates various socioeconomic factors into a GIS while generating highway alignments using GAs. Examples using county level census data from North Carolina are demonstrated to test the sensitivity of generated highway alignments with constrained distances from protected populations. The results indicate that it is important to consider local social and economic effects, in addition to regional planning objectives when measuring the effectiveness of feasibility studies associated with highway construction. Within the proposed modeling framework attention is directed on various EJ initiatives, such as environmental health and safety laws in minority and low-income areas. The model would help planners, designers, and policy-makers understand the intricate interrelationships among local communities, while facilitating more scientific and economically equitable planning for highway construction projects.     

公路造价管理中存在的问题及对策

文章针对我国公路造价管理中存在的管理人员思想意识不强、素质不高、造价审计职能弱化、变更管理不到位、缺乏完善的定额管理体系、信息化水平低下等问题,提出了相应的解决对策,为建设单位加强公路造价管理工作提供参考。     

New highways and land use change: Results from a quasi-experimental research design

Understanding links from new highway construction or capacity expansion to regional growth patterns is crucial for transportation planners and policy makers. In this paper, we incorporate a lagged adjustment regional growth model into a quasi-experimental research design to examine the association between new highway investments and land use change in three California counties. Our study areas provide a mix of urban, small town, and exurban highway projects in order to explore the different effects across project types and geographic contexts. The central finding of this research is that while improvements in surface transportation infrastructure can have large impacts on growth patterns, the nature of the effect depends on the context of the highway investment.