A Decision Support System for Planning Highway Life Cycle Investments

摘要

The present work aims to develop a framework for life cycle cost analysis of highway projects incorporating the sustainability dimensions of project development. The proposed system consists of modules for road performance prediction in time, for cost estimating and life cycle cost analysis and for optimising investment decisions. The system development aims to provide two types of decision support. The first uses the calculated life cycle cost of a highway design to evaluate the project performance under different sustainability scenarios. The second aims at selecting the most effective highway projects to be implemented within a region considering the transportation needs, resource availability as well as any desirable constraints in impact levels. The above analyses can assist optimal resource allocation decisions and also rationalise decisions on the resource requirements for highway project implementation in a region.