THE ECONOMIC-IMPACT OF TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE PROVISION - A REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE

The economic impacts of transport infrastructure have been extensively debated in Great Britain in recent years. Positive impacts are genera ted by the construction of infrastructure, although these are usually less marked for civil engineering schemes compared with other forms of construction, Transport infrastructure is an essential contributing f actor in the industrial development of economies, but once infrastruct ure networks have been created economic impacts arising from the provi sion of additional infrastructure capacity will be small on average un less there are significant technological discontinuities. In such a st eady-state situation, the long-term macro-economic impacts of transpor t infrastructure provision are difficult to prove and many of the bene fits can be secured by government more cost-effectively with a differe nt mix of policies, Notwithstanding these conclusions, infrastructure provision has an essential contribution to make to the quality and sus tainability of life in societies and the attainment of environmental g oals.