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Page 39
Suggested Citation:"Chapter Eleven - Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Techniques for Effective Highway Construction Projects in Congested Urban Areas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14485.
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Page 39
Page 40
Suggested Citation:"Chapter Eleven - Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Techniques for Effective Highway Construction Projects in Congested Urban Areas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14485.
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Page 40

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39 Construction in highly congested urban corridors is challeng- ing even under the best of circumstances. Traffic volumes are often measured in excess of 100,000 average daily traffic, right-of-way (ROW) acquisition issues are complex and time consuming, and the list of utility conflicts and relocations is often long and difficult to manage. Additionally, media cov- erage is typically very focused, adding a measure of visibility not present on other projects, and a variety of stakeholders are impacted. Combining all these elements requires pursu- ing the construction process in ways that are innovative and effective, and which lead to project completion in accordance with project goals. This study gathered information on what transportation agencies are doing to accommodate the impacts associated with building urban projects. The outcome is a long list of effective strategies that, once implemented, are bringing about measurable success. Most urban projects do not fall into the “mega-project” category; they are valued at $100 million or less. Typically, design-bid-build is used as the contracting methodology. Many strategies address the unique aspects of urban construction including special contract provisions, milestones, and incentive and disincentive programs. The agencies identified utilities as a major area of concern, with the potential for significant financial and schedule impacts on urban construction projects. It is clear that utility impacts be planned for and dealt with. They are proactive in efforts to prevent even more schedule or cost issues than already occur, with early and ongoing coordination being the keys to miti- gating utility impacts. Early coordination is one key that lessens potential impacts. None of the agencies believed the influence or issues relating to utilities could be totally eliminated. This study showed that urban projects are usually affected by the acquisition of ROWs. Cost overruns and schedule issues are the most common influences. Condemnations are frequent and delays are often the outcome. It is not unusual for the acquisition of ROWs to be on the critical path for project delivery. This study showed that if a residential property goes to condemnation that 95% of the parcels take at least six months to acquire, with 30% of the parcels taking more than a year to be cleared. In the case of commercial property going through condemnation, 53% take more than a year to clear. Agencies have added staff to mitigate the impacts associated with ROW acquisition. Under ideal conditions, all property is cleared and available for access before construction begins. However, of the agencies surveyed, about half noted that they do move ahead to construction without 100% of the parcels cleared. Stakeholder communication is an essential part of every urban construction project. The list of stakeholders can be complex and messaging must be adjusted to meet the specific needs of each group. This study found that one effective strat- egy for identifying a project is through branding. Branding gives a project identity and assists in communicating key information to the public. Communication strategies vary from project to project; however, some specific activities remain constant from project to project. A transition is occurring in the industry as a consequence of society’s changing needs and methods for communicating. Although newspapers and fliers are still common, the emergence of web-based tools and platforms is growing significantly. Of interest is that some activities or strategies are frequently used but not seen as being effective by the agencies. The use of the media and its involvement in urban projects is accepted as a routine part of these projects. Although agen- cies typically rely on an internal public relations practitioner to be the “face” to the media, instances exist where an agency has hired an outside contractor or consultant to support internal staff in fulfilling this role. Although one would expect the agencies to see the media in an adversarial role, this did not prove to be true in this study. One-half the agencies reported a strong relationship with the media. In addition, the majority (80%) rely on strong relationships with the media to further the messaging or communication strategies relating to urban projects. This situation reflects a healthy profes- sional relationship and respect that must exist for a positive outcome on these projects. One surprise was the absence of metrics and specific data that could be used to manage and make decisions relating to use of the media for urban project communications. In theory, it would appear logical that these projects leverage all available resources to mitigate traffic impacts during construction including using other modes as a means for diverting users from their vehicles. This study found that such efforts to use other modes to be limited in their use and ultimate value. On the other hand, agencies reported a clear pattern of early involvement of other modes in their planning processes as well as project-specific efforts to at CHAPTER ELEVEN CONCLUSIONS

least coordinate how other modes are impacted by the con- struction work itself. Traffic management is at the core of every urban project, because high-traffic volumes make it a necessity. Striking commonality exists in the strategies used to mitigate high average daily traffic impacts within project limits. Most orga- nizations use standard closure practices, schedule constraints, incentives, disincentives, and other common tools to accom- plish this purpose. Proven approaches continue to be used with success and satisfaction among the agencies. Four case studies were presented that offered more detail about specific project attributes. Many of these attributes emerged in the study in some manner. Among the significant findings from the case studies is how the agencies have tailored the tools to fit the specific circumstances of each given project, further evidence that the suite of available tools is not to be applied randomly or without thought or consideration but with a deliberate focus on outcomes and impacts. Overall, these 40 examples provide additional insights into beneficial “real life” application of some interesting initiatives. Finally, it is clear that no single answer deals with all the issues facing transportation agencies during project construc- tion in urban areas—even within the same agency. However, using the strategies found in this report may bring meaningful benefits to capital projects across the country. There is much more to be learned about project delivery in urban areas. Specific performance measures for the different strategies would be useful to quantify potential benefits. The lack of performance data relating to public outreach methods and their effectiveness speaks to the need for greater use of metrics in decision making in this particular area alone. A methodology that would help the agencies bring a cost-benefit analysis to the decision-making process would be useful and assist in selecting the right application or strategy for a given situation. These areas present opportunities for future research into this important subject area.

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Techniques for Effective Highway Construction Projects in Congested Urban Areas Get This Book
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TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 413: Techniques for Effective Highway Construction Projects in Congested Urban Areas explores a diverse set of techniques designed to address highway construction challenges in congested urban areas such as high-traffic volumes, utility conflicts, complex right-of-way acquisition issues, a diverse stakeholder base, and watchful news media.

The report includes four case studies designed to help illustrate effective construction practices in congested urban areas.

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