Energy Conservation – Smart Policy

“The best kind of energy, the cheapest kind of energy, the energy that addresses energy independence, energy security, and also global warming is energy not used.” Richard A. Muller during a radio interview on NPR’s Science Friday. 

I discovered Richard A. Muller while listening to a recent podcast on NPR’s Science Friday. (12/5/2008)  There’s often nothing more satisfying than having someone a million times smarter than yourself validate your thoughts.

Such is the quote above from Muller regarding my thinking on energy conservation.  Why is carpooling good?  Because it conserves energy and it brings people together.  If he had only mentioned CarolinaCommuter.com…..

Dr. Muller was on Science Friday talking about a new book that he’s written called, Physics for Future Presidents : the science behind the headlines.  RICHARD A. MULLER is professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a past winner of the MacArthur Fellowship. Physics for Future Presidents is based on his renowned course for non-science students.

To learn more about the science behind smart energy policy, check out the podcast or click the link below to learn more about the course Dr. Muller teaches that spawned the book at: 

http://fora.tv/2008/08/11/Richard_Muller_on_Physics_for_Future_Presidents

How much does it cost to build a mile of Highway?

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, the average cost to build 1 mile of freeway through an urban area costs approximately $39 million, while a mile of freeway through a rural area costs approximately $8 million.  

http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-14013-28076--F,00.html

RailestoTrails.org summarized the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Economic Requirements System’s input values for the typical costs of a variety of highway improvements, including the cost of adding a lane to an existing highway using a November of 2003 study adjusted to 2006 dollars and came up with the following values.

Input values for the cost of new construction to construct one lane-mile of a typical 4-lane divided highway can range from $3.1 million to $9.1 million per lane-mile in rural areas depending on terrain type and $4.9 million to $19.5 million in urban areas depending on population size. However, in urban areas restrictions (high cost of additional right-of-way, major utility relocation, high volume traffic control, evening work restrictions, etc.) may increase the cost per lane-mile. If restrictions exist the cost to construct one lane-mile of a 4-lane divided highway can range from $16.8 million to $74.7 million. The cost of $74.7 million perlane-mile in areas of severe restrictions may not represent the maximum cost per-lanemile and should be used as general guideline only. Individual projects may include extreme conditions warranting a much higher cost.

Link to RailestoTrails.org  white paper: http://www.railstotrails.org/resources/documents/whatwedo/policy/07-29-2008%20Generic%20Response%20to%20Cost%20per%20Lane%20Mile%20for%20widening%20and%20new%20construction.pdf