Browsing by Author "Allen, Gary R."

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    Aligning Public-Private Partnership Contracts with Public Objectives for Transportation Infrastructure
    Gross, Martha E. (Virginia Tech, 2010-08-18)
    With its central role in the development of public-private partnership (PPP) contracts, procurement structure has a significant influence on the economic and policy success of privately-financed toll roads throughout their lifecycle. Following a review of PPP fundamentals and the public-policy differentiation between public interest and public objectives, several approaches for establishing the key contract strategies of toll pricing, concession length, and risk mitigation are explored. These underpinnings motivate the central research question: Given specific policy objectives for road pricing, how should public owners select PPP contract strategies which support these outcomes? Through qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), a recently-developed method for evaluating qualitative data quantitatively, patterns of PPP contract strategies which correspond to three common policy objectives--achieving a specific toll rate, managing congestion, and minimizing state subsidy/maximizing revenue--are identified through evaluation of 18 domestic and international projects. Three practical decision-making tools resulting from this work are illustrated through application to current PPP procurements: (1) a traffic-risk worksheet, which provides a rapid estimate of a toll-financed project's viability; (2) analytical QCA results, which offer guidance for structuring PPP contracts based on the desired pricing objectives; and (3) case-library comparisons, which enable drawing parallels between proposed procurements and established PPP projects. Additional insights explore the nature of risk in this study, which concludes with thoughts on the appropriate role of PPPs in infrastructure delivery.
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    Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume II: Overview of Phase I and Development of Phase II Experimental Plan
    Dingus, Thomas A.; Allen, Gary R.; Brich, Stephen C.; Neale, Vicki L.; Schroeder, Aaron D.; Blanco, Myra; Schnell, Thomas; Gillespie, James S.; Schroeder, Tracey T.; Simmons, Carole J.; Hankey, Jonathan M. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
    The focus of the Phase I effort was on the establishment of performance and design objectives to facilitate the deployment of ultraviolet A (UV-A) headlamps. This report describes the plan to develop UV-A headlamp specifications, evaluate fluorescent infrastructure materials, quantify glare and photobiological risks, expand the cost/benefit analysis, and demonstrate and implement the UV-A technology. It also includes a literature review that was conducted before the Phase II studies. As is often the case in large projects, some of the planned work eventually changed or was replaced to address more pressing issues. The later volumes of this report series detail what research occurred and why.