摘要: |
Right-of-way (ROW) acquisition is a significant element of most transportation projects and can be very expensive, time-consuming, and socially sensitive. While project planning, design, and construction have relatively finite timelines, property acquisition can be much lengthier than expected, primarily due to the condemnation process. Accurate property-value estimation and effective land purchase policies are key to mitigating acquisition issues.This research studied the ROW acquisition process in depth, in order to identify effective acquisition practices throughout the U.S. and produce reliable cost estimation procedures for whole and partial takings in Texas. This report summarizes the results contained in Report 0-4079, which (1) extensively reviews ROW-related literature; (2) describes the results of in-state and out-of state expert interviews; (3) identifies best acquisition practices and laws across various states in the U.S.; (4) details parcel-level cost models for properties acquired in Texas (both whole and partial); (5) describes spreadsheet implementation of these cost estimation models (to aid TxDOT ROW administrators in future budget forecasts); and (6) discusses the performance of this estimation tool when applied to a test set of Texas properties. |