Cost Benefit Analysis for Sustainable Energy Building Upgrades at Safety Rest Areas and Travel Information Centers

Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) manages 47 Class I Safety Rest Areas (SRAs) and Travel Information Centers (TICs) throughout the State of Minnesota. Many of these SRA and TIC buildings are equipped with outdated/inefficient mechanical and electrical systems. Therefore, the implementation of cost-effective sustainable energy building upgrades for these SRAs and TICs holds the potential to achieve multiple benefits. These upgrades would not only result in reduced energy consumption and lower energy bills but also decreased maintenance and operation costs for these facilities. Additionally, they would play a crucial role in minimizing the associated greenhouse gas emissions. The goal of this project is to develop a Decision Support Tool (DST) that enables to automatically conduct a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis for all 47 SRAs and TICs and to assess the feasibility of implementing energy-efficient building upgrades at each facility. Ultimately, this tool will allow MnDOT to prioritize investment levels among these facilities based on their individual potential for improvement.

• Record URL:
  https://researchprojects.dot.state.mn.us/projectpages/pages/projectDetails.jsf?id=29671&type=CONTRACT&jftfdi=&jffi=projectDetails%3Fid%3D29671%26type%3DCONTRACT

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $165541
• Contract Numbers:

  1036338 WO#6

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Minnesota Department of Transportation

  395 John Ireland Boulevard
  St Paul, MN  United States  55155
• Managing Organizations:

  Minnesota Department of Transportation

  395 John Ireland Boulevard
  St Paul, MN  United States  55155
• Performing Organizations:

  North Dakota State University

  P.O. Box 6050
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108-60050
• Principal Investigators:

  Yu, Yao

  Le, Chau

  Yang,  Mijia

• Start Date: 20240912
• Expected Completion Date: 20260831
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Decision support systems; Energy conservation; Feasibility analysis; Renewable energy sources; Roadside rest areas
• Geographic Terms: Minnesota
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01930226
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Minnesota Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 1036338 WO#6
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Sep 13 2024 5:06PM