Cost-effectiveness of network design: The case of rural road investment and maintenance management strategies

This dissertation focuses on developing and evaluating investment strategies for rural road network maintenance and development, which are based on the economic principle of cost-effectiveness. Cost-effectiveness is an economic method for comparing costs of alternative management decisions. This economic principle is used to compare a set of selected road investment strategies designed to improve the current traffic flows, within a large-sparse road transport network structure. In the application of the theoretical model, both deterministic and probabilistic oriented traffic system simulation methods are used to generate and control traffic flows within the road transport network.;The impetus for this study stems from the current deterioration of the large U.S. rural transport networks, and the limited research on the cost-benefit impacts of alternative rural road investment strategies. Hence, the need for accurate modelling is essential, especially with respect to economic decisions and policy evaluations.;The fundamental objective is to develop a mathematical method that can quantify the economic impacts of selected rural road management strategies. This objective is implemented in terms of a minimum cost transport network design (i.e.: transport network road maintenance, investment, and traffic demand strategy). A large-size and sparse-structure rural road transport network in Polk County Minnesota (U.S.A.) is used for evaluation of road investment strategies. The application of the mathematical-economic model is based on traffic systems simulation theories, designed for large-sparse networks.;The theoretical model and the applied traffic simulation techniques have resulted in identifying a set of selected road investments, along with a set of accompanying rural road abandonments, as the most cost-effective managerial road investment strategy.