Mexico needs to develop a method of prioritizing transport projects - consultants

State and local transport projects should be prioritized on the basis of their impact on national productivity, Luke Miller, associate director at transport consultants Steer Davies Gleave told BNamericas. "A really important issue that needs to be developed is the way in which investments are prioritized and the assessment of how a specific project contributes to national productivity," said Miller. The effects on local productivity of a new transport project can be robustly demonstrated, but it is less clear how benefits accrue for the country as a whole, said the director. This is an area of theory that requires more development. By way of example Miller asks "how can I demonstrate to federal funding sources the benefits that a local project that crosses state lines will have on overall gross value added in the country?" The director suggests that a national schematization of project planning and prioritization based on the productivity that any given project can provide would help to inform financing decisions. The full interview with Luke Miller will be published in this week's Infrastructure Perspectives, for subscribers only.