Economic impacts of highway infrastructure improvements part 2. The operational model and its application to Ontario communities

The environmental assessment process in Ontario requires an assessment of the economic impacts of highway infrastructure improvements. This paper describes an operational model that is based on the analytical framework introduced in Kanaroglou et al (1997). The model makes use of widely available data and can be used as a planning tool for fast and efficient assessment of short term direct and indirect local economic impacts in terms of a community's sectoral employment levels. The accuracy of the assessment can be improved by modifying the model parameters using information collected locally. The model can presently be applied to communities in Ontario.