Study of the effects and adaptability of Tehran-North highway on sustainable development of the coastline of West Mazandaran in Chalus and Noushahr cities

Sustainabledevelopment, justice among generations and human's endeavors for progress anddevelopment together with protection of environment and the existing resourcesshow that the role of the transportation sector to reach sustainabledevelopment is very effective. Tehran-North Highway is one of the most important elements oftransportation in the process of sustainable development of north of thecountry, particularly in the coastline of West Mazandaran Province. In thisstudy, using the objective observations, library studies and collecting surveydata, the fourth district of the highway in the first phase of the project andthe quality of its link and adaptability with the coastline of the WestMazandaran region, particularly Noushahr and Chalus cities are studied aiming toassess the sustainable development of the region. The studied characteristicsare: noise pollution, pollution of the water resources and aquaculture,extinction of animal species, extinction of plant cover, waste management,rural texture and body and tourism industry. The results of the study show thatincreased capacity and safety of the road and the reduced travel time are thepositive effects of the high way, while noise pollution, extinction of animaland plant species and absence of correct waste management mechanism are thenegative effects of it on the region. At the end, solutions to reduce andremove the negative effects of the project based on sustainable development ofthe region are suggested.