Ensuring Equity in Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies

Mobility from home to areas of work, education, and essential services is a serious concern for low-income families. It has been found that among households earning less than $25,000 per year, 47% were hindered from carrying out their normal activities due to a lack of available transportation. The study is driven by the recognition of historical injustices in housing finance and zoning regulations, which have unfairly burdened these families with extended commutes using either private vehicles or public transit systems. Despite these difficulties, local and state transportation agencies rarely consider these challenges when making decisions on asset management. Lower income neighborhoods often receive lower public funding for transportation projects. However, even the roads connecting such neighborhoods to critical areas often receive lower funding as well. This may force agencies to apply short-term maintenance to such corridors , resulting in repeated delays and increasing overall user costs. The research proposal delineates two primary objectives: identification and remediation. Centered on the case study of Pittsburgh, the project seeks to identify specific corridors that link low-income neighborhoods with essential services such as work, schools, universities, grocery stores, hospitals, etc. Historical practices pertaining to asset management will be evaluated for these corridors, juxtaposed against better-funded counterparts. Then, if necessary, remedies for inequity in asset management decisions will be proposed alongside suggested pavement rehabilitation and maintenance practices developed with a human-centered asset management framework.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $100000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348303

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility Regional Transportation Equity Research Center

  Morgan State University
  Baltimore, MD  United States 

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

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

  Niehaus, Joseph

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Pittsburgh

  Benedum Engineering Hall
  Pittsburgh, PA  United States  15261
• Principal Investigators:

  Khazanovich, Lev

  Vandenbossche, Julie

• Start Date: 20230901
• Expected Completion Date: 20240901
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asset management; Equity; Low income groups; Pavement maintenance; Rehabilitation
• Geographic Terms: Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Pavements; Planning and Forecasting; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01893877
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility Regional Transportation Equity Research Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348303
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 21 2023 2:46PM