This paper provides a brief overview of the regional economic impact model for highway systems (reimhs), a description of the methodology's components, and a sample application for the 16-county dallas/fort worth area. Relying on the bureau of economic analysis' multipliers for regional industrial output, earnings of employees in those industries, and employment, the methodology takes standard highwaydata input and derives industrial output, earnings, and employment impacts of addressing or not addressing highway construction or rehabilitation needs on a variety of highway systems. For example, this prototype methodology and model showed that not addressing construction needs on a typical interstate highway results in a loss in motorist benefits for the dallas/fort worth area equivalent to $1.8 Million in regional output, $580, 000 in regional earnings, and 27 jobs. On the other hand, undertaking $10 million in interstate improvementswill stimulate $17.6 Million in regional output, $4.6 Million in earnings, and 203 jobs. These findings were compared with earlier studies and found to be reasonable. The highway data input consists of allocating highway investments to the various highway industries and estimating and allocating savings resulting from highway construction and rehabilitation improvements. The savings result from increasedefficiency, mobility, and safety for vehicular traffic exposed to congestion. The authors conclude that the methodology is practical and workable and that the results are reasonable. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1229, Economics, finance, planning, and administration.
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