Researchers Cooperate with NDDOT to Study Economic Impact of Infrastructure

In conjunction with the NDDOT, UGPTI researchers have completed a study which assesses the economic impact of transportation infrastructure in North Dakota. UGPTI researchers completed the research at the request of the North Dakota Legislative Council.

The researchers integrated three key software models in the analysis: HERS-ST, REMI and Cube. The study comprised an economic analysis of the state's highway, rail, and air networks.

The highway analysis involved the use of HERS-ST to simulate the deterioration and rehabilitation of North Dakota's highway system over a 20-year period. From this baseline analysis, budget constrained analysis was performed to estimate the changes to pavement condition and user costs under the constrained scenarios. From this, the total economic effects were estimated using the REMI software.

A secondary component of the highway analysis developed a GIS network which modeled grain and manufacturing movements across the state system. Building upon this analysis, the benefits and costs of the implementation of spring load restrictions was estimated.

The rail freight service analysis estimated the economic impacts of the branch line and regional railroad system in the state by re-routing the traffic from these systems to the main line track via the highway system. The increased cost to the rail shippers as well as the increased highway impacts were estimated to assess the economic impact.

The airport analysis identified airports within North Dakota that are specially situated to participate in the current and future growth of the state's economy. Recent growth in the air cargo and regional and business jet services illustrates the fact that airports outside of the major passenger terminals in the state have an important role to play in the future of air services in North Dakota, and expansion or preservation of these facilities is necessary in the future.

From these studies, recommendations for transportation infrastructure were presented to the state Transportation and the Economic Development committees in the Legislative Council. At the Economic Development Committee meeting, NDDOT Director David Sprynczynatyk said that "the data in the study shows it is clear that transportation is a good investment."

SURTC Develops Transit Plan for Rolette County and the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation

SURTC researchers helped Rolette County and the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation develop a three-phase plan for improving transit services in the area.

The area faces some unique challenges. Turtle Mountain Reservation, in extreme north central North Dakota, is densely populated and has more residents per square mile than Cass County, North Dakota's most populated county. Unemployment in the area is particularly high and income levels are low. Poverty, health issues and educational needs of residents make improved transit a priority. The county's regional hub for shopping, medical services, and interstate transportation is Minot, which is approximately 120 miles away.

SURTC research fellows, Jon Mielke, Gary Hegland, James Miller, David Ripplinger, Carol Wright, Del Peterson, and Jill Hough joined forces with the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) and tribal officials to develop and coordinate a transit plan that addresses those issues.

Rolette County is currently served by three transit providers; Nutrition and Support Services which provides the senior meals program and transit for Belcourt; Nutrition United Inc. which provides senior meals and transit for Rolette County; and Royal Coach Transportation, a commercial transit provider. Other than these three systems, there are no forms of commercial or public transportation in the county.

Mielke and Hegland met with the transit providers and other agencies to evaluate current services and to look for duplication and gaps. An advisory committee was formed to provide input into the development plan. The committee identified medical, compliance, and educational-related transportation as priorities, followed by employment-related transportation. The goal of the development plan is to ultimately "expand and improve much needed services to the area," Hegland notes.

At the committee's first meeting, the SURTC researchers recommended that the existing transit services submit a supplemental funding request for transit monies, administered by the NDDOT. The requests were submitted and they were ultimately provided with an additional $111,000 in state and federal funding for the budget year of 2006-2007.

The three phases of the transit development plan included:

• Maintain existing levels of service and expanding hours of operation. They also plan to create uniformity in the three existing transit services by creating a transit advisory board and using one name and one phone number for all transit services.
• Develop a fixed route between Dunseith and Rolla and another fixed route to Minot.
• Purchase computer software to computerize scheduling and dispatch, as well as implement a fixed route to major employers and propose a long-term plan for vehicle replacement.

"With this new development plan in place, the ongoing efforts of the area's transit providers and the proposed advisory board will facilitate the development and operation of a fully coordinated transit system that responds to the mobility needs of area residents in an efficient and cost-effective manner," Hegland says.