Degree Type

Thesis

Date of Award

2017

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

Major

Civil Engineering

First Advisor

Peter Savolainen

Abstract

As the transportation industry moves towards an ultimate goal of zero deaths on roads in the United States, decisions are made every day regarding how to best utilize limited transportation funding for the implementation of crash countermeasures. At a time when many jurisdictions face difficulties in maintaining their existing infrastructure, additional tools are necessary to ensure that available funding is spent in the most productive manner. Determining whether or not a crash countermeasure is financially justified is one of the primary considerations in transportation agencies’ planning and programming efforts. However, a myriad of analytical concerns limit the ability to effectively determine the cost-effectiveness of specific countermeasures. Using a series of locally-derived safety performance functions (SPFs) and severity distribution functions (SDFs), this study provides a set of tools that can be used to assess the feasibility of potential countermeasures for various location types (e.g., segments, intersections, etc.). Construction cost data for a series of countermeasures can be integrated with robust crash modification factors (CMFs), allowing for a flexible economic analysis framework in which competing or complementary countermeasures can be evaluated. The final product of this project provides decision-makers with a planning-level tool that will allow for direct consideration of the prospective economic impacts and related uncertainty that is inherent in such estimates.

Copyright Owner

Patricia Anne Thompson

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

File Size

68 pages

Additional Files
BenefitCostAnalysisTool.xlsm (172 kB)
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