Optimal Road Network

Minimization of the total transportation cost within a network, connecting a given point constellation with known transportation demands by determination of the optimal network configuration and type of construction of individual links is the objective of this paper. The method proposed has been developed to help preliminary analysis and provide effective guidelines to the very complex problem of planning a transportation network. The economical factors taken into account herein are land values, road construction and maintenance cost, vehicle operation, and travel time costs. The problem leads to a system of nonlinear simultaneous equations that are solved by iteration procedure by means of a computer program. Finally, a numerical example from road network practice is presented in detail.