Pragmatical model for highway tolls pricing management

Abstract

Highways stand for a decisive part of the road network with respect to the economic growth prism. In Europe, as well as in developed and developing countries worldwide, an extended network of highways, serves as one of the interconnection infrastructure cornerstones of touristic, professional and commercial activities. The financing of that road infrastructure investments lays mainly on toll stations at certain points of highway trafficked surface. Thus, toll stations operate as points of fee collection from road users. Tolls pricing methodology with a pragmatical approach is the scope of this paper. While many methods for pricing tolls fee are implemented according to the policy adopted by the road authorities of each country, none of them has up to now manage to calculate fee value with respect to continuously updated historical data of past expenses and revenues, due to construction, maintenance, operational and tolls fee income, accordingly. The development of a pragmatical model that reconsiders costs and revenues yearly, so tolls pricing becomes more realistic along with time, is the subject this paper investigates. A calculation formula for this goal is presented hereafter, distinct characteristics of which are realism, reconsideration and sustainability. © IJSTR 2020.