Transportation infrastructure assets are the largest publicly owned infrastructure assets in the United States. The management of these assets and the determination of their value have been at the forefront of discussions in many state agencies and local governments. However, existing valuation approaches are mostly based on physical condition and neglect the effect of factors such as functionality and overall use on the asset's value. This paper presents a utility-based methodological framework for the valuation of transportation infrastructure. The proposed valuation methodology uses the asset replacement cost as the base value. Value is then added to the base value by considering three key factors associated with the infrastructure: physical condition, functionality, and overall asset use. Each factor is characterized by appropriate indicators that can be quantified with specific performance measures. Then, the utility theory is applied to combine the effect of performance indicators of varying measures and scales on the value of an asset. The proposed framework can assist state and local transportation agencies in optimizing their resource allocation procedures for better coordination of asset investments within or across infrastructure assets.
In urban areas, bicycles that travel in bicycle lanes encounter a variety of obstructions, including pedestrians and various types of motor vehicles. Earlier studies focused on the frequency of such events. The goal of this study was to characterize the obstructions. Data were collected in the Manhattan and Brooklyn boroughs of New York City to evaluate specific characteristics (e.g., bicycle lane designs, curb regulations, land use) that might influence the frequency of specific conflict types. A method is described for evaluating the frequency of conflicts between bicycles that travel in on-street bicycle lanes and various other transportation modes and for identifying factors that might affect the frequency of such conflicts.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.