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NTRAC Final Study - Nebraska Department of Roads - State of ...

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CHAPTER 8 – FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC EVALUATION<br />

Magnitude <strong>of</strong> Potential Impacts<br />

As described in seen in 8-8, the diversion <strong>of</strong> vehicular traffic from I-80 and other <strong>Nebraska</strong><br />

highways per the three scenarios would result in significant benefits in 2010. Rail by itself<br />

would generate total benefits <strong>of</strong> about $1 million in accident, traveler cost, and congestion<br />

savings in 2010. The specific types <strong>of</strong> savings and their calculation are discussed below. There<br />

will be higher savings for each <strong>of</strong> the scenarios in future years, for the savings will grow with<br />

ridership.<br />

Table 8-8: Scenario Total Savings in 2010<br />

Scenario A<br />

Accident cost savings $565,673<br />

Traveler cost savings 390,814<br />

Congestion savings 300,183<br />

Total 1,256,670<br />

Scenario B<br />

Accident cost savings $299,755<br />

Traveler cost savings 457,340<br />

Congestion savings 148,013<br />

Total 905,108<br />

Scenario C<br />

Accident cost savings $210,241<br />

Traveler cost savings 352,363<br />

Congestion savings 100,271<br />

Total 662,875<br />

Rail Alone<br />

Accident cost savings $476,159<br />

Traveler cost savings 285,837<br />

Congestion savings 253,066<br />

1,015,062<br />

Source: Wilbur Smith Associates<br />

Accident Savings<br />

These are savings resulting from accidents that would be avoided with driving commuters<br />

switching to commutes by rail and/or bus. To calculate these savings, estimate rail and bus<br />

ridership was converted to the equivalent <strong>of</strong> vehicle-miles <strong>of</strong> travel. This required an assumption<br />

<strong>of</strong> a load factor for a commute car. This analysis assumed a typical load factor <strong>of</strong> 1.1 persons per<br />

commuter car. The calculation also required two other factors: an accident cost per vehicle-mile,<br />

and an accident cost per rail passenger mile.<br />

This analysis assumed a cost per vehicle-mile <strong>of</strong> $0.05, based on a review <strong>of</strong> national accident<br />

costs and accident rate in <strong>Nebraska</strong> and Iowa. The national statistics pointed to an overall<br />

accident cost per vehicle-mile <strong>of</strong> $0.16 (an average cost <strong>of</strong> property damage, injuries and<br />

fatalities) for all types <strong>of</strong> vehicles and all types <strong>of</strong> roads. As seen in Table 8-9, the <strong>Nebraska</strong> data<br />

showed accident rates for Interstate and rural highways <strong>of</strong> about one-third <strong>of</strong> urban road systems.<br />

Noting that trips in the three transit corridors would take place predominantly on either Interstate<br />

or rural highways, it is reasonable to expect accident costs would be conservatively about onethird<br />

<strong>of</strong> the national average, or about $0.05.<br />

384180<br />

NEBRASKA TRANSIT CORRIDORS STUDY<br />

Page 8 - 16<br />

WILBUR SMITH ASSOCIATES

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