Simplified Model of Road-User Costs for Portuguese Highways

When evaluating road design, maintenance, and rehabilitation, the Portuguese Road Administration does not consider road-user costs. A simplified model of road-user costs for highway networks and the selection of input values for Portuguese conditions were defined, with 2006 as the base year for calculations. The steps in defining the model were the analysis of the most important models of current road-user costs to provide the conceptual framework for a simplified and new model; the characterization of Portuguese highways by input data definition; and the inventory of official sources, formulations, and definition directives for input data. With the simplified formulation, user costs can be integrated in management frameworks in an easy, fast, and reliable way. A consideration of extended transport costs (construction, maintenance, and user costs) will allow a more accurate life-cycle economic analysis and will contribute to the sustainability of road infrastructure. Two applications of the model to Portuguese road networks under concession are presented.