ANALYSIS OF IMPEDIMENTS TO A SUCCESSFUL CONSTRUCTABILITY PROCESS IN HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION

The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts Program (EDC) has resulted in state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) putting evermore emphasis on speeding up the delivery of highway and bridge construction projects for use by the driving public. This has resulted in an increase in the use of integrated project delivery methods and adding alternative technical concepts (ATCs) to traditional design-bid-build (DBB) contracts. ATCs have exhibited great potential for delivering substantial benefits like cost savings, increased constructability, and quicker project delivery. Previous research has found that knowledge of project constructability was lacking in state DOT planning, programming, and environmental staffs. At the same time, the permitting process for several government agencies has become increasingly restrictive. The intent of this paper is to report on the research team's progress in an ongoing effort to furnish the US government with a uniform set of guidelines for the application of the constructability process during all phases of project development and delivery. The research uses surveys, focus groups and interviews to determine which states have implemented formal programs to ensure that the constructor is furnished with a set of contract documents that affords said constructor with the best possible opportunity to successfully construct the project with the highest quality standards, within the contract duration and without exceeding the construction budget.