Abstract:
A research project is underway in Brazil to develop
mathematical models for highway planning. Cost models will be
developed relating highway construction, maintenance and
utilization. The 42-month project began in September 1975.
This initial project report describes the background and previous
work in the areas as well as the concepts and proposed
methodology for the research.
Three basic activities are proposed and described:
1) a series of road user costs surveys to determine operating
costs in Brazil, 2) road user and traffic experiments torelate
speed and fuel consumption and 3) pavement performance
and maintenance experiments. All of these studies will relate
construction,maintenance and utilization costs to road construction
and design standards, and pavement performance and
maintenance.
Analysis of results will incorporate previous work
sponsored by the World Bank and results of a Transportation
Road Research Laboratory study in Kenya. The first results
of the current study are expected in 1977. The project is
sponsored by the Brazilian Ministry of Transport and the
United Nations Development Program.
Key words: Highways, highways costs, World Bank, pavement performance,
maintenance·, vehicle operating costs, user cost,
road user cost, speed, fuel consumption, traffic, United
Nation Development Program, GEIPOT, Brazil.
