Date of Award

12-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S.E.

Degree Program

Civil Engineering

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Major Professor

Bastola, Satish

Second Advisor

Mahon, Robert

Third Advisor

Tabassum, Anika

Abstract

This research has three main objectives. First, a bibliometric analysis of the existing literature on the sustainability of transportation systems is conducted. Second, a unified framework is proposed to assess the sustainability of transportation systems from United States (U.S.), non-U.S., and global perspectives. Third, a Sustainability-driven Prioritization Index (SPI) is developed, which comprehensively incorporates sustainability metrics and factors to prioritize projects across different contexts. In this research, the distribution of publications by type, publication trends over years, categorization of topics, keyword co-occurrence patterns, and citation trends are examined. A comprehensive literature review identified 55 factors across five sustainability metrics: environment, economy, society, transportation, and safety. A structured fuzzy pairwise comparison survey is developed using these factors and distributed to transportation professionals worldwide. After collecting responses, the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is employed to determine the relative importance of factors from the global, U.S., and non-U.S. perspectives. The relative importance of factors from the perspectives of owners, consultants, and contractors is also assessed. Furthermore, the SPI is developed for prioritizing projects. A case study application, involving the states adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico—Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, and Mississippi—demonstrates the applicability of the SPI to practical projects in the real world. This research will help stakeholders make informed decisions and enhance sustainability in transportation systems across all geographical contexts.

Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.

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