Roadway User Delay Costs

[Kwissifar]

Does Anyone out there have an idea on the Life Cycle Cost Roadway User DELAY costs analysis for pavement design. I have no idea what the format is going to look like without a detailed raodway traffic analysis!!!

I have the FHWA LCCA handbook and it mentions a Roadway User Delay Cost but then the term just withers away as the book goes on....

Can Anyone point me in a direction to defining what exactly is the Roadway User Delay Cost and how to go about simply calculating it......

 

[dicksewerrat]

I think you may be looking at the cost to the public for delays caused by work done on the road. The Univ. of Texas, Austin did some reports and studies on this. Look also in the trenchless web sights. this is a selling point of trenchless over open ditch replacement of utilities.

 

[KRSServices]

In your analysis, the roadway user delay cost must only be considered if the cost itself is tangible and real. I am not familiar with the U of T study, but I have read some published papers wherein the "cost" to the public was evaluated. They used terms such as delays in the effective hauling of goods, lost employee productivity, etc. While it made for a good read, the so-called costs themselves were more theoretical than practical, and certainly not any numbers that one would associate with any project cost, whether maintenance, resurfacing or upgrading.

The costs however prove to be good fodder for politicians and opponents to a specific project where cancellation or stalling is their agenda.

KRS Services

http://www.krs-services.com

 

[Kwissifar]

I have recently found a PDF file from the NJDOT website which concentrates on the ROADWAY USER COSTS... But... The ROADWAY USER DELAY COST definition kind of fades as the material goes on....

But you people are correct on saying that the number does not really play a roll within a design calc...

My guess is that it is mainly political

 

[GeoPaveTraffic]

While delay costs may most often appear in politically charged discussions they do have some direct application for engineers. These methods can be applicable to the design of either new construction or reconstruction if used properly, i.e. just one more tool in the tool box. For example:

If you are comparing to construction methods or materials, one of which will require no maintenance for 10 years and the other will require maintenance in 5 years. The first method/material costs more initially, however, if the second method/material creates twice the delay cost (at 5 years and 10 years) then its cost may be more in the long term. The question should become "What is in the best long interests of the public?". However, this generally becomes either a political decision or a decision made based on the amount of money available for the project.

Also, as has been stated, figuring the real value of the delay costs is very difficult at best.

 

[KRSServices]

Geopave,

You are absolutely correct and I find it refreshing to learn that I am not the only lone waddie in this regard. I have been in the business now for over 17 years, and it still amazes me as to how many designs do not accurately consider the maintenance/upgrade costs as a fuction of the lifecycle of the infrastructure. Using either present value or future value formulas, it is a critical component to any project I undertake because in some instances, politicians and decision makers may elect to spend more (as today's dollar) than a future dollar which has compounded due to inflation and other increases. In your case you translate that cost as a deferred or scheduled maintenance upgrade.

I provide this analysis as a standard component of my designs and recommendations regardless of whether I am dealing with water, sewer or transporation issues. Given my municipal background (dealing with Council's), my habit was bourne out of necessity to anticipalte the questions or stave off issues, nonetheless it has proven valuable for some of my consultant client's as well and enabled them to secure a unique credibility with municipalities.



KRS Services

http://www.krs-services.com

 

[Kwissifar]

I beg to differ in this instance where the economy is run-short.... Government funding is not what it used to be and in-care of that fact the engineering field should try to economize on spendings so that work can progress in the development of whichever state one practices in.. A Census was taken for drivers who are within a queue and a fairly large number of motorist stated that all they would care to know is information regarding what is the reason they are queuing on and an estimated time to wait... All government should be providing is an upgrade to the quality and quantity of signings posted for the commuter.. Its seems to work fairly well... Well that is in Britain!!!

But getting back to the question at hand...

This user cost delay gets extremely complicated in situations like a clover leaf interchange where there is signal timing on off ramps and vertical cleanrance issues...

Has anyone ever encountered such a monster?