Suggested Citation:
Shilling, Fraser M., Heidi Schott, Alison Berry (2008) Roadside Laboratories and the Road Effect Zone. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-08-52

Roads and road networks have environmental impacts that vary in type and degree based on the physical properties of the roadway, the activities associated with the road, and the sensitivity of the local environment. The local environment affected by the road surface and traffic has been termed the “road effect zone”. Although there is a rapidly growing literature on specific environmental impacts within this zone (stormwater runoff effects, biological invasions, noise, wildlife barriers), there have been few tests of the extent of the road effect zone, how various impacts are interrelated, and how these impacts could be minimized through pavement and roadside management activities.  The objectives of the proposal are:  1) To develop a long-term integrated experimental site at the newly established UC Davis Advanced Transportation Infrastructure Research Center, and 2) To establish a modeling framework for future research on the road effect zone, with special emphasis on defining parameters of relevance for California road systems, but with methodologically broader applicability.