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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems Work Zone User Costs
Nathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Federal Highway Administration
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Agenda
Topics1.Analysis Basics2.User Costs Components3.Conceptual Framework4.Example5.Conclusion
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Premise
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
The PBES Decision
1.Qualify?
2.Quantify. Monetize Benefits
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Strategy – Compare Costs
Value and compare WZ Roadway User Costs for traditional approach and use of PBES to determine if the construction premium justifies additional investment.
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Strategy – Compare costs
Work Zone Impacts from Traditional Construction V.S.
Work Zone Impacts from PBES
Traditional Construction costs V.S. PBES Construction Costs
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Roadway User Costs Components
DefinitionCosts to highway users over the life of a Highway ProjectComponents•Delay Costs – Costs associated with an increase (or decrease) in the amount of time it takes for a user to travel from point A to B. (In our case, navigating through or around a work zone)•Vehicle Operating Costs – Costs attributable to the operation or maintenance of a vehicle(brake wear, idling, fuel consumption, tire ware, etc.)•Crash costs-Cost resulting from property damage, injuries, or loss of life
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Roadway User Costs - Roadway User Time Value
• Business travel is valued at wage plus benefits
• Personal travel is valued at what travelers are willing to pay to reduce travel time •Usually a percentage of wage
• People do value their time
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Roadway User Costs
• Vehicle Operating costs are a function of additional wear and tear on the vehicle caused by the work zone.
• Costs include:• Fuel Consumption• Engine Oil Consumption• Tire Wear• Repair & Maintenance• Mileage related depreciation
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Roadway User Costs
• Depreciation costs are a function of aging and usage over time.
• Sources of data includes American Automobile Association(AAA), American Transportation Research Institute(ATRI)
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Roadway User Costs
• Crash costs are a function of the change in crash rates caused by work zones.
• Crash costs are a function of:• Crash rate/frequency• Crash Severity• Unit Cost of crashes
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Comparing Work Zones Strategies
• Each construction/WZ strategy involves tradeoffs•Agency vs. user costs•Initial vs. long-term costs
• An analysis of roadway user costs permits comparison of cost tradeoffs
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Benefits from Transportation investments
16 17 18 19 20
Initial Capital
Cost
Year
Dollars
Benefits
Costs
1514131211109876543210
Typical Life-Cycle Profile: A Project Level Perspective
Example Direct Benefits•Life-Cycle Cost Savings•Reduced Accident Costs•Reductions in Delay Costs•Reduced noise or emissions
Example Indirect Benefits•Land use impacts•Employment•Non-user benefits
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
1. Existing Costs on construction Route(Pre-WZ)2. Additional Costs from WZ
Work Zone
1. Existing cost on detour route(Pre-WZ)2. Additional Costs of detoured traffic on Detour Route
WZ Impacts
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Conceptual Work-Zone impact on travel speed
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Benefits
ActivitiesMajor Activity
Initial Activity
Costs
$
$
Time
Time What is the present value of future sums?
What are the minimum “life-cycle cost” strategies?
)()1(
1
0
tt
N
tt
CostBenefitr
NPV
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Example
Traditional Concrete Girder Construction vs. Precast Beams with slab sections,
2 -24 hour closure vs. 3 months of nighttime work zones
25,000 vehicles Average Daily Traffic, rising to 60,000 ADT in 35 years
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Example (Continued)
• Precast Section is estimated to cost 20% more than traditional approach but last 20% longer
• Nighttime work zones increase agency cost by 10%
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Example (Continued)
4% real discount rate35 year analysis period24 hr WZNight Work
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Example Results
Agency User Agency User
Present Value $2,605 $4,969 $2,865 $1,226
Present Value $2,721 $3,715 $2,987 $1,055
Costs Over 35 Years in $1000
Trad. - 24 Hr WZ Trad. - Night Only
PBES - 24 Hr WZ PBES - Night Only
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Example Results (Continued)
Least cost option for the agency (Traditional/24 hours) is highest cost for travelers
Using PBES reduces traveler cost due to shorter initial construction time and fewer rehabilitations
Nighttime work zones eliminate most of delay for Traditional and PBES at little additional cost to the agency
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Quantifying Benefits of PBES
Need simple way of quantifying, “time savings, cost savings, safety advantages, and convenience.”
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Work-Zone Costs - Find the Number
$0
$2,000,000
$4,000,000
$6,000,000
$8,000,000
$10,000,000
$12,000,000
$14,000,000
$16,000,000
$18,000,000
$20,000,000
$22,000,000
$24,000,000
0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300
Dai
ly R
UC
pe
r m
ile
in 2
01
0 $
Two-way AADT (in thousands)
InterstateDaytime 10-hour Closure (7:00 to 17:00 hours)
2 Normal Lanes - 1 Lane Open 3 Normal Lanes - 1 Lane Open 4 Normal Lanes - 1 Lane Open3 Normal Lanes - 2 Lanes Open 4 Normal Lanes - 2 Lanes Open 4 Normal Lanes - 3 Lanes Open
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Conclusion
1. Analysis for deciding to implement PBES is a function of:• Direct User impacts(capacity analysis of
monetized costs to Users)• Life-cycle cost savings?
2. Resources exist(Complex to simple)
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
FHWA Resources
• FHWA Work-Zone Road User Costs•Process•Values•References•One-Stop Shop on good practice calculating Work-zone user costs
• Bridge Life-Cycle Cost Analysis Workshop• FHWA Rule of Thumb Charts(Draft Final)• FHWA BLCCA Tool(Under Development)• FHWA RealCost LCCA Software(free excel
spreadsheet)
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.Proposed Transportation Bill- Performance
ManagementProposed Performance Goals• Safety: Reduction in transportation-related fatalities and
injuries. (Fatalities and Fatality Rate)• Environmental Sustainability: Increased use of
environmentally sustainable practices in the transportation sector. (No. of Projects with sustainable design and/or tools).
• State of Good Repair: Increased proportion of highways and bridges in good condition. (Pavement and Bridge Condition)
• Livable Communities: Improved networks that accommodate pedestrians and bicycles.
• Economic Competitiveness: Maximum economic returns on transportation policies and investments. (Travel Time Reliability)
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Roadway User CostsNathaniel D. Coley Jr.
Thank You
Nathaniel D. Coley Jr.Federal Highway Adm.Washington, [email protected]
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/asstmgmt/economic.cfm