Abstract: This report documents the second phase of the EIRI (Economic Impacts of Road Investment) study. The main focus of this phase was to provide some information which could be used as the basis for the development of appropriate road infrastructure investment strategies in the future. To do this, a Delphi forecasting approach was taken and focused on three major areas: 1) How would the intensity of use of the Canadian road system change between now and the year 2000?; 2) How would the cost of building and operating the road system change in the same period and what would this mean for the roadbuilding sector of the economy?; and 3) What factors (technological, economic, social, etc. might affect road infrastructure investment patterns for the future? The report details forecasts and their underlying assumptions, outlines anticipated developments, and draws a number of conclusions. Some of the general observations include the following: 1) the intensity of system use is expected to increase substantially over the next 11 years, 2) the costs of road construction are expected to increase greatly up to the turn of the century, 3) various economic factors are expected to change in mixed ways, all increasing to some degree, but only labour related disbursements undergoing major change, and 4) government investment in road infrastructure is generally expected to rise slightly during the forecast period. The implications of the forecasts and key developments are discussed as they are likely to affect road users, road administrators and roadbuilders. Reports from Phase 1 of the EIRI study include Canada's highways - a profile (IRRD 807180 - 1988) and Canada's road building industry - a profile (IRRD 807162 - 1988). (Author/TRRL)
Publication Year: 1990
Publication Date: 1990-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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