An Ex-Ante Cost-Benefit Analysis of All-Terrain Vehicle Transportation Corridor in Southwest Alaska

Abstract

This research explores the construction of a geotextile ATV corridor connecting two separate village subsets, Oscarville-Napakiak and Akiak-Akiachak, in the Kuskokwim River delta. Cost-benefit analysis was used to compare the costs of constructing a geotextile trail to the benefits derived from the reduction of injuries, fatalities, and fuel consumption observed on the existing river transportation corridor during a 20-year period. Secondary data was collected for population estimates, fatality and injury rates, while the rapid rural appraisal approach was used to access the traffic rates between each village subset. The results reveal that the construction of a geotextile ATV corridor in the Alaskan bush would prove to be an economically feasible transportation alternative.