A multi-objective integrated model for selecting, scheduling, and budgeting road construction projects

In this paper, an integrated ‎model for selecting, scheduling, and budgeting urban road construction projects is introduced as a ‎multi-objective time-dependent ‎bi-level network design problem. Three criteria are considered as upper-level objective functions: total travel time, user satisfaction over time, and spatial ‎equity. Two new measures are developed to ‎assess network design scenarios from the perspectives of user satisfaction over time and spatial ‎equity. Given the great complexity of the intended problem, two multi-objective evolutionary approaches (an interactive and a-posteriori) are proposed to solve the model in a reasonable time. These two approaches are novel combinations of ‎different techniques, such as: Genetic Algorithm (GA), Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II), Frank-Wolfe algorithm, ‎ordered logit model, and knees identification algorithm. Computational results for various test problems ‎show that proposed approaches have acceptable performance in terms of both‎ solution quality and ‎solution time.‎ ‎To show applicability of the proposed approach in large-sized networks, it is applied to a real case on Isfahan City in Iran.