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In an effort to assist transportation professionals with the evaluation of wider economic benefits (WEB) of highway improvements, this paper provides important insights into the open-source AASHTO EconWorks wider economic benefits analysis tools using three case studies located in Indiana. The paper makes a significant contribution to the state of practice by providing an in-depth discussion of the lessons learned during the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) implementation assistance program in Indiana. The paper briefly presents the theoretical background related to the development of the tools and explains data needs and sources. The discussion of the case studies primarily focuses on the sensitivity of the tools' results to critical input parameters (such as volume to capacity ratio and productivity elasticity), which has not been addressed in previous studies. Lastly, the paper elaborates on the applicability and limitations of the tools, and also discusses their potential integration into an agency's decision-making process. The inferences from this case study can be useful for state departments of transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and other organizations interested in quantifying the potential productivity gains associated with planned or future highway projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last 50 years, a number of economic forces led to noteworthy changes in the geography of poverty in the US. Employment decentralization and lack of affordable housing have resulted in many low-income households migrating to suburban areas, and as of today, the majority of the low-income population of metropolitan regions resides in the suburbs. Focusing on the Triangle Region, NC, this study systematically explores the changes in the geography of poverty and transit access over time to better understand how accessibility to transit has changed for the low-income residents. Spatial panel data models are also estimated to investigate the relationship between poverty and transit access at the neighborhood level and how it varies spatially and temporally, while accounting for unobserved heterogeneity and spatial autocorrelation. Results indicate that between 1990 and 2015, the outer-ring suburbs experienced the highest increase in both poverty and transit access, although improvements in transit access were lower in the recently urbanized areas within the outer-ring suburbs. Inner-ring suburbs experienced a substantial rise in poverty rate and low-income population, and a comparable increase in transit access. Central cities remained the areas with the highest poverty rate and transit access in the Triangle Region but experienced smaller changes over time compared to suburban areas. The findings of the econometric analysis suggest that poverty rate and transit access are not significantly related at the neighborhood level when time-invariant unobservable characteristics are accounted for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]