AN ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS APPROACH TO THE INITIAL SELECTION OF ALTERNATE HIGHWAY CORRIDORS

This thesis proposes a methodology whereby environmental factors play a greater role in the initial selection of alternate highway corridors. Such an approach ensures that presently unquantified environmental values are given appropriate consideration in the decision-making process along with economic and technical considerations. Environmental factors have often not been dealt with in the highway planning process to the extent necessary to approach environmental compatibility. A primary reason for this is that alternate highway corridors have all too often been located primarily on the basis of engineering criteria and then evaluated as to their physical, social, and economic impacts. It is imperative that environmental issues be confronted at the very outset of the highway location process. The system developed in this thesis provides the highway engineer with a method to determine environmentally feasible alternatives with which to begin his detailed study. The method of approach is an attempt to remedy current deficiencies in the route selection process. Basically, it consists of studying the area through use of a computerized grid network by inventorying both physiographic features and community values. Important considerations addressed include the determination of environmental criteria to use for inventory and the development of a weighting technique to evaluate the relative potential impact of each factor. All selected criteria are analyzed and weighted numerically. Each cell within the grid network then has a value for each criterion, a physiographic composite value, a community value composite factor, and a total environmental adversity factor. As an end result, areas of relative corridor potential are displayed graphically through use of a computerized shading technique.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Washington, Seattle

  Division of Marine Sciences
  Seattle, WA  United States  98105
• Authors:
  • WILLIAMS, A L
• Publication Date: 1975-7-30

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 106 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Electrical grids; Environmental impacts; General surface features of the earth; Highway corridors; Highway planning; Highways; Location; Route choice; Social values
• Uncontrolled Terms: Highway location; Physiography
• Old TRIS Terms: Community values; Substitutes
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00129383
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MA Thesis
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 29 1976 12:00AM