Evaluating prioritization of ASEAN highway network development using a fuzzy multiple attribute decision making method

The association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has recently decided to develop a new highway network to connect countries in the association by roads to enhance cultural integration and economic growth of Asian countries. A total of 5400 km of roads are required to be newly constructed or upgraded to develop the ASEAN highway network. In this study, prioritization of investment for 32 road sections in the ASEAN highway network construction was evaluated using a two-step hierarchical fuzzy multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) process. The first step was to prioritize each corridor, and the second step was to prioritize individual roads within each corridor. In this prioritization, the importance of road sections was evaluated based on economic and political aspects. The economic aspect was assessed using traffic volume and construction cost while the political aspect was assessed using data related to balancing regional development, a country's willingness to invest, road network connectivity, and priority of each corridor. The road sections from Mawlamyine to Thanbyuzayat were identified as the highest priority road sections for construction. Also, it was found that the application of the Fuzzy MADM process for evaluating the prioritization of road construction is a useful and beneficial method in prioritizing highway development across various regions such as Southeast Asian countries.