1 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems Work Zone User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Federal Highway Administration

2 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Agenda Topics 1.Analysis Basics 2.User Costs Components 3.Conceptual Framework 4.Example 5.Conclusion

3 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Premise Prefabricating bridge elements and systems (PBES) offers major : time savings, cost savings, safety advantages, and convenience for travelers. ~from EDC-PBES Website

4 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. The PBES Decision 1.Qualify? 2.Quantify. Monetize Benefits

5 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Strategy – Compare Costs Value and compare WZ Roadway User Costs for traditional approach and use of PBES to determine if the construction premium justifies additional investment.

6 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Strategy – Compare costs Work Zone Impacts from Traditional Construction V.S. Work Zone Impacts from PBES Traditional Construction costs V.S. PBES Construction Costs

7 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Roadway User Costs Components Definition Costs to highway users over the life of a Highway Project Components Delay Costs – Costs associated with an increase (or decrease) in the amount of time it takes for a user to travel from point A to B. (In our case, navigating through or around a work zone) Vehicle Operating Costs – Costs attributable to the operation or maintenance of a vehicle(brake wear, idling, fuel consumption, tire ware, etc.) Crash costs-Cost resulting from property damage, injuries, or loss of life

8 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Roadway User Costs - Roadway User Time Value Business travel is valued at wage plus benefits Personal travel is valued at what travelers are willing to pay to reduce travel time Usually a percentage of wage People do value their time

9 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Roadway User Costs Vehicle Operating costs are a function of additional wear and tear on the vehicle caused by the work zone. Costs include: Fuel Consumption Engine Oil Consumption Tire Wear Repair & Maintenance Mileage related depreciation

10 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Roadway User Costs Depreciation costs are a function of aging and usage over time. Sources of data includes American Automobile Association(AAA), American Transportation Research Institute(ATRI)

11 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Roadway User Costs Crash costs are a function of the change in crash rates caused by work zones. Crash costs are a function of: Crash rate/frequency Crash Severity Unit Cost of crashes

12 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Comparing Work Zones Strategies Each construction/WZ strategy involves tradeoffs Agency vs. user costs Initial vs. long-term costs An analysis of roadway user costs permits comparison of cost tradeoffs

13 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Benefits from Transportation investments Initial Capital Cost Year Dollars Benefits Costs Typical Life-Cycle Profile: A Project Level Perspective Example Direct Benefits Life-Cycle Cost Savings Reduced Accident Costs Reductions in Delay Costs Reduced noise or emissions Example Indirect Benefits Land use impacts Employment Non-user benefits

14 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. 1.Existing Costs on construction Route(Pre-WZ) 2.Additional Costs from WZ Work Zone 1.Existing cost on detour route(Pre-WZ) 2.Additional Costs of detoured traffic on Detour Route WZ Impacts

15 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Conceptual Work-Zone impact on travel speed

16 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Benefits Activities Major Activity Initial Activity Costs $ $ Time What is the present value of future sums? What ROI do taxpayers(our investors) want?

17 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Example Traditional Concrete Girder Construction vs. Precast Beams with slab sections, hour closure vs. 3 months of nighttime work zones 25,000 vehicles Average Daily Traffic, rising to 60,000 ADT in 35 years

18 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Example (Continued) Precast Section is estimated to cost 20% more than traditional approach but last 20% longer Nighttime work zones increase agency cost by 10%

19 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Example (Continued) 4% real discount rate 35 year analysis period 24 hr WZ Night Work

20 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Example Results

21 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Example Results (Continued) Least cost option for the agency (Traditional/24 hours) is highest cost for travelers Using PBES reduces traveler cost due to shorter initial construction time and fewer rehabilitations Nighttime work zones eliminate most of delay for Traditional and PBES at little additional cost to the agency

22 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Quantifying Benefits of PBES Need simple way of quantifying, “time savings, cost savings, safety advantages, and convenience.”

23 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Work-Zone Costs - Find the Number

24 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Conclusion 1.Analysis for deciding to implement PBES is a function of: Direct User impacts(capacity analysis of monetized costs to Users) Life-cycle cost savings? 2.Resources exist(Complex to simple)

25 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. FHWA Resources FHWA Work-Zone Road User Costs Process Values References One-Stop Shop on good practice calculating Work-zone user costs Bridge Life-Cycle Cost Analysis Workshop FHWA Rule of Thumb Charts(Draft Final) FHWA BLCCA Tool(Under Development) FHWA RealCost LCCA Software(free excel spreadsheet)

26 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. MAP-21 Goal Areas SAFETY- Reduce fatalities & serious injuries on all public roads. INFRASTRUCTURE CONDITION- maintain state of good repair. CONGESTION REDUCTION- reduce in congestion on the NHS SYSTEM RELIABILITY- Improve the efficiency FREIGHT MOVEMENT & ECONOMIC VITALITY- To improve the national freight networks and access ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY- protect the environment. REDUCED PROJECT DELIVERY DELAYS- To reduce project costs, promote jobs and the economy, and expedite the movement of people and goods by accelerating project completion through eliminating delays in the project development and delivery process, including reducing regulatory burdens and improving agencies' work practices.

27 Roadway User Costs Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Thank You Nathaniel D. Coley Jr. Federal Highway Adm. Washington, DC