Continuous Decision Plan for Optimizing Budget Allocation for Dredging Projects Considering Shoaling Effect Within a Multi-Year Horizon

Details

• Creators:
  Atoofi, Parham ; Wang, Bruce
• Corporate Creators:
  Texas A&M University. Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering ; Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC)
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program ; United States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Inland waterways
  • Budgeting
  • Dredging
  • Optimization
  • Network analysis
  • Planning
  • Decision making
  • Budget allocation
  • Lock maintenance
  • Shipping cost
  More +
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final Report: 3/01/2024 – 10/31/2025
• Corporate Publisher:
  Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC)
• Abstract:
  Navigational channel dredging is vital to maintaining efficient inland and coastal waterborne freight. We develop and compare three optimization models that shift dredging project planning to a system-wide, performance-based frame-works. The baseline estimates route-based shipping costs under simplified assumptions; the second adds segment-level initial depths and their effects on route capacity; the third extends to two years with stochastic shoaling and adaptive second-year reallocation under inflation-adjusted costs. A mixed-integer, two-stage structure links dredging to route draft, lock improvements to delay reduction, and route capacity to vessel costs and OD demand. In the Ohio River Basin of 428.7 miles and 27 reaches, the second model cuts dredging costs by up to 38.5% while maintaining the same level of optimality as the prior optimization model; the third further reduces system-wide shipping costs, remains robust in sensitivity tests, but is computationally intensive. New models are shown numerically to dramatically improve on the efficiency of fund allocation.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  69A3552348331
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/88291/dot_88291_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 953.90 KB]
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a562ebc21edf83cdaa5691549c69e162dfdcb082f80ff9870d7c4a590c9180a641a018e0d4008bf8347e8506d19a7130fd318665b30846a147e9ee6d2646b19c