Case Study: North Carolina Department of Transportation achieves up to $500,000 savings and 20% faster corridor planning with SAS Analytics

NC DOT finds a better way to build roads, avoid polluting natural water sources

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) needed a more efficient, cost‑effective way to identify road and bridge corridors that minimize environmental impact—particularly to streams and wetlands—without having to survey thousands of acres by hand. The challenge was to comply with strict state and federal environmental rules while cutting time and taxpayer cost on large projects.

NCDOT used LIDAR data with SAS Analytics and SAS Bridge for Esri to build logistic‑regression models that predict headwater streams and wetlands, narrowing corridor options before fieldwork. The models (85–95% accurate) reduced surveying, are being applied countywide, and helped shave up to $500,000 per project and about 20% off planning time, earning federal recognition for environmental excellence.

North Carolina Department of Transportation

Morgan Weatherford

Environmental Program Consultant