A heuristic decision framework is developed for obtaining a regional road development program that optimizes the net benefits of theprojects in the program and meets a specified budget constraint. Because a regional network serves a considerable number of plants and markets and consists of a large number of links, the benefits that result from improving a single link are almost never immediately realized. In the case of a program to upgrade highway weight limits, a benefit is realized only when the minimum load limit along a travel route is raised. The heuristic algorithm addresses this special constraint and determines optimal road development plans for various budget levels. Although this analysis concentrates on selecting projectsthat upgrade the weight limits on state highways, the methodology is also applicable to other types of highway project selection. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1156, Transportation systems planning and management.
Abstract