Traffic and expenditures on Arizona state highways

PDFResearch PaperFHWA-AZ-00-484(2)SPR-PL-1-(55) 484State highwaysVehicle miles of travelRevenuesExpendituresTraffic countingArizonaArizona. Dept. of TransportationMatranga, E.Semmens, J.Arizona Transportation Research CenterUnited States. Federal Highway Administration. Arizona DivisionNTL-ECONOMICS AND FINANCE-ECONOMICS AND FINANCENTL-OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROLS-OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROLSBTS Data DirectoryUsing Arizona Department of Transportation data, this study examines the distribution of expenditures, revenues and vehicle utilization of Arizona's state highways from 1986-1998. Three measures are used to evaluate the distribution of highway infrastructure spend over this period: 1) the ratio of revenue generated per vehicle mile, 2) the ratio the number of vehicle miles generated per expenditure dollar, and 3) the revenue dollars generated per expenditure dollar. All counties' state highway segments, excepting Gila and Maricopa, generated more revenues from highway user taxes than was spent on these state highways during the study period. Because of the enormous capital outlay required for urban freeway construction, there would appear to be a short-term inequity in the expenditure distribution. However, over the long-term, the enormous volumes of traffic carried by the urban system should generate revenues disproportionately and eventually provide a surplus to the system While this is only one way of evaluating the equity and efficiency of highway investments, it is, nevertheless, a useful addition to other, more traditional methods of analysis