The Lifecycle Benefit–Cost Analysis for a Rural Bridge Construction to Support Energy Transportation

Rural roads represent an important part of the economy in the Great Plains and Midwest of the United States. As oil exploration in North Dakota increases, the number of vehicles travelling on these roads is also increasing, resulting in significant needs for infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, including the construction of new bridges. The lifecycle benefit–cost analysis of bridge construction is the overall objective of this research. This paper investigates the benefits of combining travel demand modeling and lifecycle benefit–cost analysis, and demonstrates traffic forecasting using geographic information systems (GIS) and network flow problem. The paper also shows a comparison of the alternative scenarios. The authors demonstrate a method of integrating geographic information systems, operations research, and data analytics to estimate future traffic by evaluating infrastructure needs. The travel demand modeling is essential for the lifecycle benefit–cost analysis. This study would help government agencies and construction companies evaluate and prioritize new bridge construction projects. The agencies should consider adding the environmental costs.