Development and Application of a Cost-Benefit Tool for Quantifying External Social Impacts of Small to Mid-Size Transportation Projects (4.13)

This two-year project will focus on developing methods for quantifying the external social costs of transportation civil infrastructure projects, particularly small to mid-size projects that are common in New England states. Transportation projects have costs and benefits that affect society that are external to the project budget. These external costs and benefits of transportation projects can include effects on the environment, health, equity, and the overall resiliency of the system. Although the overall costs of a project to society (a project’s “social costs”) include both project costs and external costs, the latter are rarely included in project cost assessments, particularly on small to modest size projects. The proposed project therefore aims at filling this gap by developing a relatively easy to understand and implement methodology and an associated user-friendly tool to assist transportation professionals in assessing full social costs and benefits of a project. This will better inform transportation decision making such as for consideration of design alternatives, project prioritization, or adoption of new technologies and engineering innovations. The project will include clear and concise practice-oriented guidance material and training to support the use of the developed tool by transportation practitioners.

• Record URL:
  https://tidc.umaine.edu/tidc_project/4-13-uvm/

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $434231
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551847101

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Vermont Agency of Transportation

  219 North Main Street
  Barre, VT  United States  05641

  Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.

  6995 Sierra Center Parkway
  Reno, Nevada  United States  89511
• Managing Organizations:

  Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center

  University of Maine
  Orono, ME  United States  04469

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Dunn, Denise

• Performing Organizations:

  Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center

  University of Maine
  Orono, ME  United States  04469

  University of Vermont, Burlington

  College of Engineering and Mathematics
  33 Colchester Avenue, 109 Votey Building
  Burlington, VT  United States  05405-0156
• Principal Investigators:

  Dewoolkar, Mandar

  Rowangould, Gregory

  Rowangould, Dana

  Lens, John E.

• Start Date: 20220601
• Expected Completion Date: 20250815
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Construction projects; Cost accounting; Data analysis; Financial analysis; Infrastructure; Programming (Planning); Social impacts
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Construction; Finance; Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01851447
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551847101
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jul 15 2022 3:32PM