Cost–Benefit Framework for Selecting a Highway Project Using the SWARA Approach

The effective selection of highway projects is essential for driving economic growth and facilitating trade in Saudi Arabia’s cities. However, current studies lack a comprehensive approach that assesses highways based on a full spectrum of economic, environmental, and social cost–benefit factors tailored to Saudi Arabia’s construction industry. This study addresses this gap by developing a framework that incorporates the aspects. The methodology comprises five steps: (1) a literature review to identify benefit and cost criteria; (2) expert surveys to select significant criteria; (3) the application of the stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method to determine criteria weights; (4) structured expert interviews to establish criteria quality weights; and (5) validation through application to three case studies, comparing the results with those obtained using the ANP method. The findings show that economically efficient road choices yield increased productivity and support industrial growth, while the most significant environmental benefit is reducing carbon emissions. Social benefits, as emphasized by experts, include accident reduction. Cost factors are also considered, with savings on vehicle operation costs identified as the most significant, as opined by the expert surveyed. Among the analyzed highways, Khurais Road, Riyadh, was the most efficient from the SWARA approach, with a value of 0.8, and the ANP case study conducted, with a normalized score of 0.045 and 0.230 for both benefits and cost criteria.

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