EconWorks Wider Economic Benefits Analysis Tools

Tools for analyzing the economic impacts of accessibility, reliability and connectivity projects

SHRP2 included five tools to help practitioners use economic analysis in project decision making.  These tools are designed to fill the gap between the screening stage where the Case Studies may be useful and later stages where agencies may employ detailed economic models.

Analysis Tools include:

• Accessibility: tools designed to explain the benefits and impacts of a project to the labor and buyer-supplier markets.
• Reliability: tool designed to explain the benefits and impacts of projects designed to improve system reliability (e.g. ITS projects).
• Connectivity: tool designed to explain the benefits and impacts of improved intermodal connectivity.

A final Analysis Tool, the Accounting Framework, provides a place to assemble the results of the accessibility, reliability and connectivity tools alongside more traditional benefits categories like safety, travel time savings and vehicle operating cost savings. 

To use any of these tools, download the tool and the user’s guide as well as the final research report: Development of Tools for Assessing Wider Economic Benefits of Transportation.

Take the Wider Economic Benefits Analysis tools online training course to learn more about the tools. (also available in pdf).

Ask questions of other users on the Analysis Tools Forum.