Increasing railroad abandonment and other changes in the Kansas grain transportation system have lead to increased trucking of grain. Further losses of shortline railroads would have negative effects on rural Kansas communities, including increased road damage costs and reduction in farm income. The research measured quantifiable impacts of shoreline railroad abandonment in Kansas through the following four research tasks. First, an assessment of Kansas county road conditions and financing was conducted to determine the ability of counties to absorb the resulting incremental heavy truck traffic. Second, the changes in wheat handling and transportation costs were computed. Third, the increase in truck-attributable road damage costs to Kansas county and state roads was computed. Fourth, the additional highway accident benefits and costs attributable to the resulting incremental truck traffic were calculated. The western two-thirds of Kansas was selected as the study area. County road officials were interviewed and surveyed to assess county road conditions and finances. GIS routing software was used to model the wheat handling and transportation costs with and without shortline railroads. Using the results of the GIS transportation model and an existing pavement damage model, the additional damage costs to county and state roads are calculated. Finally, the safety cost was calculated using the estimated increased truck miles driven, accidents per mile traveled data and costs per accident.


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    Title :

    Economic Impacts of Railroad Abandonment on Rural Kansas Communities


    Contributors:
    M. W. Babcock (author) / J. L. Bunch (author) / J. Sanderson (author) / J. Witt (author)

    Publication date :

    2003


    Size :

    180 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English






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