UTILIZATION OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS BY STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTS

HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTS FOR THE 50 STATES PLUS THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND PUERTO RICO WERE SURVEYED BY MAILED QUESTIONNAIRE ON THEIR USE OF ENGINEERING ECONOMIC ANALYSIS. AN ANALYSIS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRES RETURNED IS PRESENTED IN TABULAR AND GRAPHIC FORM. THE BENEFIT-COST RATIO METHOD OF ANALYSIS WAS REPORTED USED BY THE VAST MAJORITY OF STATES. MOST STATES FOLLOW THE AASHO RED BOOK WHEN THEY MAKE ECONOMIC ANALYSES. SEVERAL STATES, HOWEVER, REPORTED USE OF FIXED USER UNIT COSTS. MAJOR DETERMINANTS IN AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, IN ADDITION TO USER COSTS, ARE THE ASSUMED SERVICE LIFE OF VARIOUS HIGHWAY ELEMENTS AND THE RATE OF INTEREST USE. DUE TO SOME INCONSISTENCIES IN THE REPORTED DATA AND TO THE INHERENT WEAKNESS OF MAILED QUESTIONNAIRES, SPECIFIC FINDINGS ARE NOT POSSIBLE.