Economist

Do expenditures on road construction projects represent good investments for communities? The taxpaying public will never know because community planners rarely analyze road projects as investments. The benefits that local residents will receive from a new or improved road, such as increased efficiency, fewer accidents, and reduced vehicle operating costs, as well as the potential regional impacts on jobs, population, and income, should be measured. These benefits should then be compared with the total construction costs of the project, such as planning and design, land purchases, construction, and costs for moving utility lines. Only then will any investment in building or improving roads be made with reasonable confidence.

Ecologist

Community planners should consider the full range of ecological effects of any road construction projects, including pollution, vegetation destruction, habitat fragmentation, and soil erosion. The scale of the effects varies with the size of the project. Evaluations based on only a few species or resources may be adequate for small projects, but the construction of several highway systems can together alter entire regions, disrupting migratory pathways and other ecosystem processes. These effects may be augmented by the conversion of land to industrial or residential use that usually accompanies road building. Once all of the environmental considerations have been evaluated, planners should proceed with a proposed road construction project only if it will not damage sensitive ecosystems or if suitable mitigation measures can be implemented.