Systematic Procedures for the Analysis of Agency and User Costs of Bridge Repair Actions

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (12) ◽  
pp. 116-126
Author(s):  
Ehsan Fereshtehnejad ◽  
Jieun Hur ◽  
Abdollah Shafieezadeh ◽  
Mike Brokaw ◽  
Brad Noll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Agency Cost ◽  
User Cost ◽  
Bridge Management ◽  
User Costs ◽  
Vehicle Operation ◽  
Traffic Delays ◽  
Implementation Costs ◽  
The Cost

A primary goal of bridge management systems is to identify maintenance, repair, and replacement (MR&R) strategies that maximize benefits and minimize losses, often expressed in terms of cost. A major factor that greatly impacts outcomes of these frameworks, that is, the most appropriate MR&R strategies, is the cost of implementation and associated consequences of performing such actions. Given that the inventory of bridges maintained by a state department of transportation (DOT) is significantly large, this study is aimed at developing a systematic procedure to reliably estimate the costs through effective utilization of DOTs’ databases. The considered costs include agency cost of administration, engineering, and mobilization; agency direct cost of performing MR&R actions; agency cost of maintenance of traffic; and user cost incurred from traffic delays, vehicle operation, and excess emissions. The study develops a set of models to estimate the duration of various MR&R work plans. These models are subsequently used to propose analytical formulations and algorithms for the estimation of the above costs. The proposed procedures are employed to estimate the agency and user costs associated with a series of light to extensive repair actions for three bridges in Ohio. Independent calculation of some of these costs by Ohio DOT engineers indicated good agreement with results obtained from the proposed systematic methods. The verified procedures for cost estimation developed in this study enable state DOTs and other entities to reliably estimate implementation costs of actions for their large inventory of bridges and identify the most cost-effective MR&R strategies and work plans.

Abstract W P273: The Cost-Effectiveness of Telestroke Varies by Implementation Cost and Stroke Severity: Real World Data From a Pacific Northwest Network

Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Baraban ◽  
Richard Nelson ◽  
Alexandra Lesko ◽  
Jennifer Majersik ◽  
Archit Bhatt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Real World ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Stroke Severity ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
World Data ◽  
Life Years ◽  
Implementation Costs ◽  
The Cost

Objective: An obstacle for community hospitals in joining a telestroke network is often the cost of implementation. Yet, previous analyses examining the cost and cost-effectiveness have only used estimates from the literature. Using real-world data from a Pacific Northwest telestroke network, we examined the cost-effectiveness of telestroke for spokes by level of financial responsibility for these costs and how this changes with patient stroke severity. Methods: We constructed a decision analytic model and parameterized it using patient-level clinical and financial data from the Providence Telestroke Network (PTN) pre and post telestroke implementation. Data included patients presenting at 17 spokes within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. Probability inputs included observed IV-tPA treatment rates, transfer status and hospital costs and reimbursements. Effectiveness, measured as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and cost per patient were used to calculate incremental cost effectiveness ratios (ICERs). ICER’s of <$50,000-$120,000/QALY are considered cost-effective. Outcomes were generated overall and separately by admit NIHSS, defined as low (0-10), medium (11-20) and high (>20) and percentage of implementation costs paid by spokes (0%, 50%, 100%). Results: Data for 594 patients, 105 pre- and 489 post-implementation, were included. See Table 1. Conclusions: Our results support previous theoretic models showing good value, overall. However, costs and ICERs varied by stroke severity, with telestroke being most cost-effective for severe strokes. Telestroke was least cost effective if spokes paid for half or more of implementation costs.

scholarly journals Bridge Management Strategy Based on Extreme User Costs for Bridge Network Condition

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ladislaus Lwambuka ◽  
Primus V. Mtenga
Keyword(s):  
Multiobjective Optimization ◽  
Traffic Flow ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
User Cost ◽  
Bridge Management ◽  
User Costs ◽  
First Case ◽  
Conflicting Objectives ◽  
Alternative Routes

This paper presents a practical approach for prioritization of bridge maintenance within a given bridge network. The maintenance prioritization is formulated as a multiobjective optimization problem where the simultaneous satisfaction of several conflicting objectives includes minimization of maintenance costs, maximization of bridge deck condition, and minimization of traffic disruption and associated user costs. The prevalence of user cost during maintenance period is twofold; the first case refers to the period of dry season where normally the traffic flow is diverted to alternative routes usually resurfaced to regain traffic access. The second prevalence refers to the absence of alternative routes which is often the case in the least developed countries; in this case the user cost referred to results from the waiting time while the traffic flow is put on hold awaiting accomplishment of the maintenance activity. This paper deals with the second scenario of traffic closure in the absence of alternative diversion routes which in essence results in extreme user cost. The paper shows that the multiobjective optimization approach remains valid for extreme cases of user costs in the absence of detour roads as often is the scenario in countries with extreme poor road infrastructure.

Development of a Pavement Marking Life Cycle Cost Tool

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (12) ◽  
pp. 148-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam M. Pike ◽  
Bharadwaj Bommanayakanahalli
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Pavement Markings ◽  
Administrative Costs ◽  
Traffic Delays ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Pavement Marking ◽  
Cost Differences

Pavement marking materials can be broadly classified into two types: durable and nondurable. The durable markings have a longer service life compared with the nondurable and, thus, need to be replaced less frequently. The material cost of the durable markings is higher compared with the nondurable markings. However, the durable markings have several benefits compared with the nondurable markings. Durable markings require less frequent striping resulting in less traffic delays faced due to marking installation and fewer accidents due to fewer work zone closures. The administrative costs associated with contracting and monitoring the work is also lower for durable markings due to less frequent contracting. The primary purpose of this project is to explore the cost differences between durable and nondurable markings, and how various factors can impact the life cycle cost of different marking materials. Researchers developed a life cycle cost calculator that considers the various costs associated with pavement markings to assist in comparing total costs of different marking materials. All costs associated with the implementation of pavement marking projects are considered, including material and installation costs, traffic delay costs and crash costs due to marking installations, and administrative costs to cover contracting and management of the pavement marking assets. This life cycle cost calculator would be another tool that decision makers could use to help choose the most cost-effective pavement marking for the selected input condition.

scholarly journals Do cost-share programs increase cover crop use? Empirical evidence from Iowa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Wendiam Sawadgo ◽  
Alejandro Plastina
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Monetary Incentives ◽  
Crop Acreage ◽  
Cost Share ◽  
The Public ◽  
Nitrogen Loads ◽  
Implementation Costs ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Cover crops can generate both on-farm and water-quality benefits. However, their use in Iowa remains subdued, partly due to implementation costs faced by farmers. We tested the hypothesis that monetary incentives through cost-share programs are effective at increasing the area of farmland planted to cover crops in Iowa, as opposed to the alternative in which the participants of cost-share programs would have planted the same cover-crop acreage in the absence of payment. We found that cost-share payments induced a 15 percentage-point expansion in cover-crop acreage beyond what would have been planted in the absence of payment, among farmers who participated in cost-share programs. The estimated additionality rate was 54%, suggesting at least half of cost-share expenditures funded cover-crop acreage that would not have been planted without payment. Furthermore, we estimated the public cost to reduce nitrogen loads to Iowa waterways via cover crop, beyond what would have occurred in the absence of cost-share programs, to be $1.72–$4.70 lb−1 N ($3.79–$10.36 kg−1 N). Farmers absorbed about 70% of those costs as private losses, and cost-share payments offset the remaining 30%. Although the additionality rate estimated in this study is less than what has been found in other states, the cost-share programs in Iowa have been relatively cost-effective, due to their lower payment rate.

scholarly journals On the effects of spatial resolution on effective distance measurement in digital landscapes

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Mundeli Murekatete ◽  
Takeshi Shirabe
Keyword(s):  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Landscape Connectivity ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Path Modeling ◽  
Least Cost Path ◽  
Effective Distance ◽  
High Resolution Data ◽  
Cost Surface ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Resolution Data

Abstract Background Connectivity is an important landscape attribute in ecological studies and conservation practices and is often expressed in terms of effective distance. If the cost of movement of an organism over a landscape is effectively represented by a raster surface, effective distances can be equated with the cost-weighted distance of least-cost paths. It is generally recognized that this measure is sensitive to the grid’s cell size, but little is known if it is always sensitive in the same way and to the same degree and if not, what makes it more (or less) sensitive. We conducted computational experiments with both synthetic and real landscape data, in which we generated and analyzed large samples of effective distances measured on cost surfaces of varying cell sizes derived from those data. The particular focus was on the statistical behavior of the ratio—referred to as ‘accuracy indicator’—of the effective distance measured on a lower-resolution cost surface to that measured on a higher-resolution cost surface. Results In the experiment with synthetic cost surfaces, the sample values of the accuracy indicator were generally clustered around 1, but slightly greater with the absence of linear sequences (or barriers) of high-cost or inadmissible cells and smaller with the presence of such sequences. The latter tendency was more dominant, and both tendencies became more pronounced as the difference between the spatial resolutions of the associated cost surfaces increased. When two real satellite images (of different resolutions with fairly large discrepancies) were used as the basis of cost estimation, the variation of the accuracy indicator was found to be substantially large in the vicinity (1500 m) of the source but decreases quickly with an increase in distance from it. Conclusions Effective distances measured on lower-resolution cost surfaces are generally highly correlated with—and useful predictors of—effective distances measured on higher-resolution cost surfaces. This relationship tends to be weakened when linear barriers to dispersal (e.g., roads and rivers) exist, but strengthened when moving away from sources of dispersal and/or when linear barriers (if any) are detected by other presumably more accessible and affordable sources such as vector line data. Thus, if benefits of high-resolution data are not likely to substantially outweigh their costs, the use of lower resolution data is worth considering as a cost-effective alternative in the application of least-cost path modeling to landscape connectivity analysis.

scholarly journals Optimization Model of Transit Route Fleet Size Considering Multi Vehicle Type

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Huasheng Liu ◽  
Yuqi Zhao ◽  
Jin Li ◽  
Yu Li ◽  
Xiangtao Gao
Keyword(s):  
Optimization Design ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
User Cost ◽  
Fleet Size ◽  
Cost Weight ◽  
User Costs ◽  
Multiple Vehicles ◽  
Passenger Volume ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Cost

This paper proposes a bus line capacity optimization design model considering the scale of multiple vehicles, which is achieved by minimizing system operating costs and user costs. The proposed model takes into account the difference of passenger demand in different periods, and can get the optimal headway and delivery and reserve plan. In order to prove that the method can effectively minimize the cost, we solved a numerical example and compared the cost of the method in multi-transit model planning. Furthermore, the optimization results show that the total costs (TC) were reduced by 14.48%. Among them, the user costs (UC) decreased by 30.38% and the operator costs (OC) increased by 4.18%. Sensitivity analyses are presented to verify the validity of the model. The analysis results show that multi size bus optimization can reduce the total cost, especially the user cost in a certain cost weight interval. Besides this, the cost weight which reflects the passenger volume and waiting time value, optional bus size and cross-section passenger volume all affect vehicle scheme and system cost.

scholarly journals A Fuzzy Logic-Based Cost Modelling System for Recycling Carbon Fibre Reinforced Composites

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 4370
Author(s):  
Essam Shehab ◽  
Arshyn Meiirbekov ◽  
Akniyet Amantayeva ◽  
Aidar Suleimen ◽  
Serik Tokbolat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuzzy Logic ◽  
Carbon Fibre ◽  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Cost Modelling ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Recycling Techniques

Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (CFRPs) are commonly used materials in manufacturing components and products in the automotive, aerospace, and wind energy industries generating thousands of tons of waste, thus creating a threat to the environment if not recycled. Therefore, it is important for both academia and industry to investigate various ways of recycling this material. However, there is an urgent need for a reliable cost predication system to assist in making informed decisions, planning sustainable treatment, and developing pricing strategies for different waste treatment scenarios. This research paper presents the development of a fuzzy logic-based system to perform cost estimation of recycling processes of the CFRP. The developed system has taken into consideration uncertainties such as the characteristics of End of Life (EoL) material including its size and weight, its origin and diversity of existing recycling methods, and quantity of recycling waste. Cost drivers were divided into categories such as dismantling, transportation, operation, and capital cost. The system was developed by creating 243 fuzzy rules and three levels of fuzzy sets. Moreover, an interactive user-friendly interface was developed to enable the user to use the system easily and efficiently. Finally, case study results were examined to compare the whole life recycling cost of four different recycling technologies in various scenarios of waste treatment. The developed fuzzy logic-based system has the capability in evaluating the cost structure of CFRP recycling techniques and take into consideration uncertainty factors. Hence, a major contribution of the developed system is its provision of the heuristic rules that aid the decision-making process for selecting a cost-effective recycling method. The visualisation facility of the developed system is also a useful tool in enabling potential users to forecast the cost of the CFRP recycling techniques upfront.

Methodology to Estimate User Costs in Indiana Bridge Management System

1997 ◽  
Vol 1597 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youngtae Son ◽  
Kumares C. Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Management System ◽  
Capacity Constraints ◽  
Time Cost ◽  
User Cost ◽  
Bridge Management ◽  
Bridge Management System ◽  
Speed Reduction ◽  
User Costs ◽  
Lane Closures

A methodology to estimate user costs developed for incorporation in the Indiana Bridge Management System is presented. The methodology estimates user costs not only for detouring vehicles, but also for vehicles traveling through bridges with narrow deck widths or with partial lane closures, causing additional travel-time cost resulting from speed reduction by capacity constraints. An example of user cost computation for bridges in Indiana is provided.

scholarly journals A Brazilian Space Launch System for the Small Satellite Market

Aerospace ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro L. K. da Cás ◽  
Carlos A. G. Veras ◽  
Olexiy Shynkarenko ◽  
Rodrigo Leonardi
Keyword(s):  
Cost Estimation ◽  
System Development ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Rocket Engine ◽  
Transportation Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Agency Cost ◽  
Development Effort ◽  
Small Satellite ◽  
Small Satellites

At present, most small satellites are delivered as hosted payloads on large launch vehicles. Considering the current technological development, constellations of small satellites can provide a broad range of services operating at designated orbits. To achieve that, small satellite customers are seeking cost-effective launch services for dedicated missions. This paper deals with performance and cost assessments of a set of launch vehicle concepts based on a solid propellant rocket engine (S-50) under development by the Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Brazil) with support from the Brazilian Space Agency. Cost estimation analysis, based on the TRANSCOST model, was carried out taking into account the costs of launch system development, vehicle fabrication, direct and indirect operation cost. A cost-competitive expendable launch system was identified by using three S-50 solid rocket motors for the first stage, one S-50 engine for the second stage and a flight-proven cluster of pressure-fed liquid engines for the third stage. This launch system, operating from the Alcantara Launch Center, located at 2 ∘ 20’ S, would deliver satellites from the 500 kg class in typical polar missions with a specific transportation cost of about US$39,000 per kilogram of payload at a rate of 12 launches per year, in dedicated missions. At a low inclined orbit, vehicle payload capacity increased, decreasing the specific transportation cost to about 32,000 US$/kg. Cost analysis also showed that vehicle development effort would claim 781 work year, or less than 80 million dollars. Vehicle fabrication accounted for 174 work year representing less than 23 million dollars per unit. The launch system based on the best concept would, therefore, deploy small satellite constellations in cost-effective dedicated launches, 224 work year per flight, from the Alcantara Launch Center in Brazil.

scholarly journals An Analytical Model for the Many-to-One Demand Responsive Transit Systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Huang ◽  
Weiping Tong ◽  
Lumeng Wang ◽  
Xun Yang
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Model ◽  
Operating Cost ◽  
Agency Cost ◽  
Continuum Approximation ◽  
Approximation Technique ◽  
User Cost ◽  
Transit System ◽  
User Costs ◽  
The Many ◽  
Demand Responsive Transit

The demand-responsive transit (DRT) service is an emerging and flexible transit mode to enhance the mobility of the urban transit system by providing personalized services. Passengers can make advanced appointments through smartphone applications. In this paper, an analytical model is proposed for the many-to-one DRT system. The agency and user costs are approximated by closed-form expressions. The agency cost, which is also the operation cost, is approximated by the continuum approximation technique. A nearest-neighbor routing strategy is applied, whereby the vehicle always collects the nearest passenger waiting in the system. The Vickrey queueing theory is adopted as the basis for approximating each component of the user cost, which is composed of the out-of-vehicle and in-vehicle waiting times and schedule deviations, which also depend on the service quality of the DRT system. The results of the numerical experiment show that (1) the agency and user costs are influenced significantly by the demand density, and (2) the DRT operator cannot further decrease the operating cost by solely deploying larger vehicles.

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