Assessing the Economic Impacts of Transportation Improvement Projects

In that a transportation system can influence an economy for good or bad, a system that enhances economic vitality becomes a crucial element in maintaining or developing economic prosperity. To provide a methodology to include economic development impacts of transportation improvement projects in the decision making process and the tools and alternatives available are here explored. Primary contributions of this document are results of a literature review, transportation professional and decision maker survey, economic modeling tool evaluation, and development of approach alternatives. The report introduces the purpose and need for the given research, the procedure that was followed, the preliminary results, and a committee recommended action arrived upon after consideration of the research findings.