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Transportation Costs in the Age of Highways: Evidence from United States 1955-2010

Author

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  • Barde, Sylvain

    (University of Kent)

  • Klein, Alexander

    (University of Kent)

Abstract

This paper examines the temporal and spatial evolution of road freight transportation costs between 1955 and 2010. For that purpose, we have constructed a new data set of minimal road transport costs for freight transport in every decade between 1955 and 2010 for 3105×3105 county-pairs. We use a methodology which combines the time-evolution of the road network’s layout with spatially disaggregated transport-related costs: average driving speeds, fuel consumption, fuel prices, labour costs, and vehicle operating costs. The new data set allows to document main facts about the development of county-pair transport costs since the 1950s and examine their temporal as well as spatial changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Barde, Sylvain & Klein, Alexander, 2021. "Transportation Costs in the Age of Highways: Evidence from United States 1955-2010," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 597, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    • Handle: RePEc:cge:wacage:597
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    Cited by:

    1. Klein, Alexander & Crafts, Nicholas, 2023. "Unconditional Convergence in Manufacturing Productivity across U.S. States: What the Long-Run Data Show," CEPR Discussion Papers 18065, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Klein, Alexander, 2023. "From the Manufacturing Belt to the Rust Belt. Spatial Inequalities in the United States: An Interdisciplinary Literature Review," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 657, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Transport costs; Interstate Highway System; Road Network; Dijkstra’s algorithm JEL Classification: N72; N92; O18; R41;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N72 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • N92 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

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