As Highway Capacity Increases, Does Quality of Life Decrease?

Team: Kevin Hernandez Rios Masters Student Transportation Technology and Policy, Susie
Pike Ph.D., Jamey Volker Ph.D.
Description: This thesis aims to understand the relationship between highway capacity expansions and how air quality may be impacted by increased vehicle miles traveled (VMT) within and around the project boundaries. The project will also include a literature review on air quality studies of highway expansions and other related capacity expansion projects. By using PurpleAir data around the corridor the research team aims to see who is being impacted by the increased vehicle travel in the selected corridor by using CalEnviroScreen 4.0. Identifying which populations are being impacted by the change in air quality may show how individuals living along the highway may be disproportionately affected.