Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2024
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Civil Engineering
Department
Civil Engineering
First Advisor
DR. NUR YAZDANI
Second Advisor
DR. RAAD AZZAWI
Third Advisor
Dr. ANTONIO JUAN BALDERREMA
Fourth Advisor
DR EYOSIAS SOLOMON BENEBERU
Abstract
Benefit-cost Analysis (BCA) is conducted prior to federal grant allocation for bridge replacement and enhancement projects to prioritize decision-making. Benefits are measured based on total bridge closures, requiring vehicles to take alternate detour paths. Primary benefits are the direct user costs such as travel time saving or emission costs. However, there are more secondary benefits that are intangible and hard to monetize, but United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) guidelines suggest considering them wherever possible. There are lack of US based data and research also no set guideline by authority.
Apart from calculating primary benefits for a 95 sample of bridges in North Central Texas including 28 rated as Poor, 32 Fair, 35 Good Bridges, this study aimed to comprehensively assess and correlate existing research to develop methods and monetize secondary benefits for bridge closures, including noise reduction, emergency response, and detour pavement damage. Health damage resulting from road noise-induced diseases was determined using the affected population attribution factor and applied in a context based on the life years lost by that disease. Due to noise health damage, the total number of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost in Tarrant County is 4460 years. The study also found a 1.1% devaluation per $100000 property for increasing road traffic based on the hedonic pricing model and survey. Structural fire damage was evaluated for emergency response benefit by the FEMA calculation approach for monetizing emergency vehicles’ temporary service. Emergency response delay for 5 minutes in Dallas County for reduced 61.4 real-time structure fire cases in Dallas County. Finally, the gas tax paid by detour-taking vehicles is considered a pavement damage benefit, as a portion of this money is used for road improvement. The total yearly primary benefits for 95 bridges amount to $2.3 billion. In comparison, the secondary benefits are as follows: pavement damage savings of $22.53 million, noise-related health benefits in Tarrant County worth $245.3 million, property devaluation of 1.1% per $100,000, and $738,584 in structure fire damage savings for Dallas County.
Keywords
Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) for Bridges, Bridge Feasibility Study, Bridge Grant Decision, Bridge Benefits monetization, Secondary benefits for bridges, Noise Reduction Benefit Monetization, Emergency Response Delay Monetization, Pavement Damage, Detour Path, Bridge Closure Economic Effect
Disciplines
Civil Engineering | Structural Engineering | Transportation Engineering
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Sakib, Shadman, "IMPROVEMENT IN BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS OF BRIDGES THROUGH ASSESSMENT OF SECONDARY BENEFITS AND DEFECT BASED MAINTENANCE COST" (2024). Civil Engineering Theses. 1.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/civilengineering_theses/1
Included in
Civil Engineering Commons, Structural Engineering Commons, Transportation Engineering Commons
Comments
I express my gratitude to my advisor Dr. Nur Yazdani for his continuous support and guidance. His mentorship helped me culminate in my research and also in my academic career.I would also like to thank members of my committee, Dr. Raad Azzawi and Dr. Antonio Balderrema for consistently reviewing my work and providing me necessary support.
I also express my sincere thanks to my supervisor Dr. Eyosias Beneberu for being such an inspiration for me and helping me underlay the foundation of my research first-hand.