What is a Transportation Corridor? According to Wikipedia,
 a “transportation corridor” is a linear area that is defined by one or more modes of transportation. (The modes of transportation could be highways, railroads or public transit like AmTrack, the Metro Link or a bullet train. The main feature all transportation corridors have is that they all share a common course. And, as a result of the corridor, housing and other development starts to bloom around it because they carry so many people. (Think of Las Vegas!)

Transportation Corridor Valuations

How much is a toll road worth? That is a question an appraiser asked me. He was hired by the TCA or Transportation Corridor Agency, which is owned by the state of California. How much is an abandoned railroad right-of-way worth? Railroad companies all across the United States also need appraisals done for their transportation corridors as their right of ways may have expired and sometimes environmental groups wish to purchase the abandoned easement. The question is, how much are these right-of-ways worth?

Right-of-way Issues

The concept how much a right of way is worth gets interesting especially when some uses overlap other uses. Many times utility easements will run alongside of a railroad right-of-way. Let’s say, for example, the railroad owns 100% fee simple interest in the land. Now add in a power line easement and an underground pipeline easement. Assume, for a moment, that the pipeline runs directly underneath the power line. Now add a surface parking lot over the pipeline and also underneath the power line. If all these OTHER easements have value too, what is an appraiser to do? Easy, we are experts in railroad easements, pipeline appraisals, transportation corridor right of way valuations and more!