ROAD DAMAGE AND TRADE SHIFTS:A CORRIDOR ANALYSIS OF NAFTA MOVEMENTS

摘要

The overall purpose of this paper is to analyze the impacts of North American Free TradeAgreement (NAFTA) on Washington’s transportation infrastructure by specifically evaluatinghighway infrastructure investment requirements via damage coefficients.NAFTA truck ton-miles on Washington highways were approximately 10.4 billion in 1994.Nearly 69 percent of those ton-miles were transit movements and 18 and 13 percent wereWashington origin and destination movements to and from Canada, respectively.Ton-miles by corridor vary significantly and will increase differently in different corridors inthe future. The commodity composition of ton-miles does vary by corridor, causing adiffering need for road investment by corridor.Washington’s infrastructure supports NAFTA trade, yet the associated benefits received forthat trade may not necessarily be in proportion to the costs associated with transportation. Ifinfrastructure investment is not adequate to sustain Washington’s highways at serviceablelevels, trade flows will be impeded and the associated highway damage of that trade willincrease substantially as highway deterioration is accelerated.