Strategic Assessment of Transport Infrastructure Plans on European Integration: Application for the Spanish Strategic Transport and Infrastructure Plan 2005-2020

Traditional transport infrastructure assessment methodologies rarely include the full range of strategic benefits for the transportation system. One of these benefits is the contribution to cross-border integration, critical for the European integration process. However, this is a key issue in strategic planning and decision-making processes, as its inclusion may increase the probability of large-scale transport infrastructure projects being funded. This paper presents a methodology for the measurement of the contribution of Transport Infrastructure Plans to European integration. The methodology is based on the measurement of the improvement in network efficiency in cross-border regions of neighboring countries, via accessibility calculations in a Geographical Information System (GIS) support. The methodology was tested by applying it to the ambitious road and rail network extensions included in the Spanish Strategic Transport and Infrastructure Plan (PEIT) 2005-2020. The results show significant and important network efficiency improvements of the PEIT outside the Spanish border. For the road mode, while the Spanish average accessibility improvement accounts for 2.6%, average improvements in cross-border regions of France and Portugal are of 1.8%. And for the rail mode, the corresponding Spanish value is 34.5%, whereas in neighboring regions it accounts for 20.2%. These results stress the significant importance of this strategic benefit and the consequent need for its inclusion in strategic planning processes. Finally, the paper identifies the potential of the methodology when applied at different administrative levels, such as the local or state levels.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Lopez, Elena
  • Monzon, Andres
  • Ortega, Emilio
  • Mancebo, Santiago
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 87th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2008-1-13 to 2008-1-17
• Date: 2008

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: DVD
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 18p
• Monograph Title: TRB 87th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Decision making; Geographic information systems; Infrastructure; Methodology; Planning and design; Strategic planning; Systems analysis; Transportation planning
• Geographic Terms: Europe
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01089278
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 08-0149
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Feb 27 2008 8:59AM