Department of Government and Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences, Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA 31061, United States of America.
Department of Economics, University of Rochester, 280 Hutchison Road, Box 270156, Rochester, NY 14627, United States of America.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Nov 10;898:165463. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165463. Epub 2023 Jul 17.
Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is an established health hazard, and roadway construction has the potential to affect TRAP by relieving congestion. The relationship between roadway construction and congestion is of policy importance, but few studies examine it using large samples of construction projects and detailed traffic and air pollution data. We create a dataset of construction projects in Texas and link them to data on air pollution and three variables operationalizing congestion: average annual daily traffic (AADT), AADT per lane, and delay in hours. We use difference-in-difference methods to estimate the effect of widening and intersection improvements on congestion and air pollution. On average over the period during construction, we find that widening increases delay by 42% (95% CI: 30, 56%), but intersection projects do not affect delay. On average and over the first three years post-construction, we find that widening reduces delay by 33% (95% CI: -41, -24%) and reduces NO levels within 500 m by 13% (95% CI: -22, -2%), and intersection projects reduce delay by 52% (95% CI: -65, -35%) and reduce NO levels within 500 m by 12% (95% CI: -18, -5%). These short-term impacts are relevant for understanding the impact of roadway construction on human health.
交通相关的空气污染（TRAP）是一种已被确认的健康危害，而道路建设有可能通过缓解拥堵来影响 TRAP。道路建设和拥堵之间的关系具有政策重要性，但很少有研究使用大量的建设项目和详细的交通和空气污染数据来研究它。我们创建了一个德克萨斯州建设项目的数据集，并将其与空气污染和三个表示拥堵的变量（平均年日交通量（AADT）、每车道的 AADT 和小时延迟）的数据相关联。我们使用差异中的差异方法来估计拓宽和交叉口改善对拥堵和空气污染的影响。在施工期间的平均水平上，我们发现拓宽使延迟增加了 42%（95%CI：30，56%），但交叉口项目不会影响延迟。在施工后的前三年的平均水平上，我们发现拓宽减少了 33%（95%CI：-41，-24%）和 500 米内的 NO 水平降低了 13%（95%CI：-22，-2%），交叉口项目减少了 52%（95%CI：-65，-35%）和 500 米内的 NO 水平降低了 12%（95%CI：-18，-5%）。这些短期影响对于理解道路建设对人类健康的影响具有重要意义。
