An Environmental Decision-Support System Based On Sustainability for Evaluating Alternatives of A Road Project

Sustainability as a basis for evaluation of road projects would require a paradigm shift and holistic treatment beyond the traditional way problems are defined and solutions evaluated. In this paper, sustainability-based decision factors were applied to evaluate three alternatives of a highway corridor augmentation project. The alternatives considered were (i) existing highway alignment with diversion of slow moving vehicles, (ii) widening of existing highway (iii) elevated highway to take care of the fast moving vehicles. Using the trade-off analysis and unranked paired comparison technique, the three alternatives were rated for their feasibility based on sustainability criteria. Multicriteria decision matrices were developed to choose the sustainable alternative. The alternative, construction of elevated highway, was found to be the most feasible under the present conditions. The technique used in this study to compare the alternatives and impact of various factors is simple and straightforward.