Techniques for Effective Highway Construction Projects in Congested Urban Areas (2011)

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3BACKGROUND The challenges facing transportation agencies in delivering capital programs are greater than ever. Inadequate funding, congestion, increasing demands for service from users, freight issues, and mobility demands that outstrip available facilities are just a few. The problems are more acute and have more potential consequences in urban areas where, on some corridors, hundreds of thousands of vehicles travel each day through locations where improvements are needed. One thing is certain—the number of complex projects in urban areas will likely continue to increase in the future. Aging highway infrastructures, right-of-way (ROW) constraints, and increasing urban populations lead to difficulties for construc- tion projects on existing, congested, urban highways. A number of factors add to the complexity of these projects: • Many infrastructure systems share the same public cor- ridors as highways, including utilities, rail, bus, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic. • Urban highways often cross multiple political juris- dictions that are under the watchful eye of many stake- holders. Balancing the diverse needs of these jurisdictions and stakeholders requires special techniques and may cause delays in design and construction. • These highways serve a variety of mobility needs includ- ing general public use, and commercial, freight, and emergency vehicle traffic. Maintaining traffic flow during construction is an important issue. • Overall system mobility must be considered in a congested urban area undergoing construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation. Construction on highways under these conditions creates the need for special techniques. A wide variety of strategies has been employed across the country with varying levels of success. The purpose of this study was to review the innovative approaches developed by various state departments of trans- portation (DOTs) and local governments in dealing specifi- cally with construction on highways in highly congested urban environments. The scope focuses on construction issues and on actions taken during any stage of project development that might lead to improved construction of highway projects. PROJECT SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES This project reviews strategies and practices employed by state DOTs and large cities to successfully deal with the aspects of urban corridors while delivering complex transportation projects. The attributes previously mentioned must each be mitigated or addressed. To secure the best possible data for national application, information was gathered from 21 states, the city of Chicago, and San Francisco County. This synthesis provides a wealth of practical experience that may benefit all who work or travel on urban highways. Among the predicaments facing transportation agencies are the following: • Utility conflicts, • ROW acquisitions and constraints, • Corridor use by multiple modes, • High-traffic volumes, • Complex stakeholder issues, • Schedule constraints, and • Financial considerations. Over the years transportation agencies have adopted a variety of techniques to respond to these challenges. Included in this list of techniques or strategies are: • Accelerated construction, • Innovative contracting methods, • Selected lane and road closures, • Public involvement, and • The use of economic evaluation decision-making tools. Used singly or in combination, each of these approaches offers agencies the chance to reduce possible impacts on urban projects and find greater success in delivery efforts. STUDY PROCEDURES To accomplish the intended purposes of this study, a number of strategies were employed to obtain as much information as possible. First, a literature review was conducted seeking current documented and published knowledge from around the country. Second, a survey was undertaken of state trans- portation agencies and major cities. Participants were selected because they have one or more metropolitan areas of more CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

than one million people. In addition, this report contains detailed information from four cases studies of large urban projects, their strategies used and any lessons learned. Each entity was asked for input regarding methods used that proved successful, and to identify those that were less than effective. The results of the literature review, findings from the survey, and information gathered from the case study inter- views have all been compiled into this report. SURVEY RESPONSE RATE One of the most difficult aspects of research involving state DOTs is collecting data through a survey. Even with the advent of Internet-based tools to expedite the collection of information, state DOTs and cities are surveyed so often that it is difficult to achieve an acceptable level of participation. For this study, the selection of states and cities to survey focused on those with urban populations of greater than one million people in the urban area; a response rate of 80% was deemed acceptable. In the United States there are currently 25 such states, thus requiring a response rate of 20 states. Ultimately, 21 states responded. In addition, Chicago and San Francisco County responded from among the many large cities that were solicited. This response rate provides a suffi- cient basis for achieving the desired outcomes of this project. ORGANIZATION The following is a summary of the 11 chapters and content: Chapter One—Introduction: This chapter includes a review of the study purpose, provides an overview of the issue of constructing projects in congested urban corridors, and establishes a foundation for the discus- sion presented in the remaining chapters. A short review of the study process is also included. Chapter Two—Literature Review: A summary of the literature for this project is presented that was analyzed for relevancy and content. Chapter Three—Program Overview: This chapter includes information on contracting methods used for urban construction, how those methods are chosen, the 4 practice of incentives and disincentives, and other related information. Chapter Four—Utilities: This chapter reviews how utilities impact urban projects, the strategies used to mitigate those impacts, and an assessment of the strategies’ effectiveness. Chapter Five—Right-of-Way: Important information about ROW acquisition for urban projects is presented. This issue is divided into private residential and commer- cial transactions, with key measures provided for both. Chapter Six—Stakeholder and Public Involvement: This chapter contains a summary of the practices employed by agencies to address the complex but important relationships with stakeholders. Public involvement strategies and their effectiveness are also explored in some detail. Chapter Seven—Media Relations: Urban projects by their nature have substantial media involvement. This chapter examines what these agencies are doing to effectively deal with the media and the approach they most frequently use. Chapter Eight—Multi-Modal: Few urban corridors service single modes of transportation. The norm is that multiple modes co-exist and operate together before and during construction. This chapter assesses the dynamics of intermodal issues in urban corridors. Chapter Nine—Traffic Management: This chapter focuses on how agencies contend with the substantial traffic volumes found in urban corridors. Techniques used, effective strategies, and the use of such tools as traffic management centers are all considered. Chapter Ten—Case Studies: Four case studies of specific projects are provided to offer further detail on how states manage urban projects. Chapter Eleven—Conclusions: Conclusions concerning the collected information for this project are detailed, with suggestions for future research offered. Appendix A provides the complete survey instrument so that each question and its responses can be seen in context of the rest of the study, and Appendix B provides the complete responses from each of the agencies. Not all of their specific responses were included in the body of the report; therefore, this allows for the capture of all the information provided through the survey.