User delay costs are a well-known, major component of life cycle cost analysis. On major urban roadways where user delay can be substantial due to high volumes, user delay costs are often managed contractually through either night work or, in the case of bridge deck rehabilitation, the imposition of road/lane rent or bonus/penalties. This is particularly the case when bridge deck rehabilitation and/or complete reconstruction are required. Using the Crowchild Trail North Bridge deck rehabilitation project, completed in 2002, this paper examines the user costs associated with delays created by the work zones in an attempt to quantify those costs. Actual travel time data was used to calculate the cost to the driving public on a crucial arterial route over the Bow River in Calgary. Because this bridge is in a dense urban environment, an attempt was made to understand the impact of consumer surplus on user costs as a result of re-routing of traffic during the construction.
Abstract