IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE: A HOLISTIC APPROACH

A competitive road construction industry can provide various benefits to the society, such as designing and building road infrastructures which can cope with the ever-changing social and economic needs. Hence, in today’s competitive market, construction companies have to assess the cost effectiveness of road transport projects in order to support well-informed decision-making. Proper impact assessment will result in road design that is more advanced, efficient operations and improved environmental protection. The traditional road impact assessment methodologies, however, lack the integration of the available natural resources (renewable and non-renewable), environment and relevant stakeholders during the planning phase. The central thrust of this paper is thus to propose a holistic methodology for assessing the impacts of the road projects by taking into account the available natural resources, the environment and by involving all relevant stakeholders. The paper also outlines steps to assess both monetised and non-monetised impacts. By employing the proposed steps, the advantages and disadvantages of new road networks can be identified in a methodical way.