Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Updating The Bridge Construction Cost Database, Rachel Catchings, Ying Li, Ryan Griffith, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Adopting a comprehensive suite of methods to track, analyze, and maintain data on bridge construction costs can help state transportation agencies identify and implement strategies to mitigate the influence of factors which escalate project costs. This report discusses how the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) should approach updating, maintaining, and analyzing its bridge construction cost data. Based on a review of practices introduced at other agencies and interviews with public and private industry stakeholders, the report catalogues practical strategies for improving estimating procedures and tracking cost data as well as the most important cost drivers of bridge construction. Analysis of KYTC …

Training Curricula For The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Department Of Highways, Nancy Albright, Bryan Gibson, Chris Van Dyke, Jeff Jasper, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Most state departments of transportation (DOTs) offer their employees professional development opportunities (e.g., training courses) so they can build their expertise and in doing so facilitate agency efforts to fulfill their business mandates. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is no different in this regard. While professional development opportunities are invaluable, and while the Cabinet offers a number of trainings to its staff, currently there exists no comprehensive training curricula to help professionals and paraprofessionals systematically grow their knowledge and skills and ensure KYTC maintains a robust portfolio of technical competencies across the organization. The inconsistent and ad hoc manner in …

Accelerated Innovation Deployment (Aid) Demonstration: Kytc — Roundabout Installation Project In London, Kentucky, Jeff Jasper, Adam J. Kirk

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This document serves as the final report on the construction and opening of the Roundabout Project in London, Kentucky (Kentucky Item Number 11‐904.1). This project (hereafter referred to as the London Roundabout) was constructed on the authority of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), which received an Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration grant of $1 million to offset project construction costs. The AID Demonstration program requires that award recipients submit a final report to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) within six months of project completion. The purpose of this report is to document the project delivery and construction processes, benefits, and …

Methods To Expedite And Streamline Utility Relocations For Road Projects, Roy Sturgill, Timothy R.B. Taylor, Seyedmahdi Ghorashinezhad, Jiwen Zhang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Executive Summary This report describes best practices and tools to streamline and expedite utility relocations when they are required as part of road construction projects. As part of this effort, a research team from the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) conducted extensive qualitative research that involved mapping current practices at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and reviewing utility manuals from KYTC and other state transportation agencies. The KTC research team also conducted in-depth interviews with KYTC engineers and staff as well as representatives from utility companies (UCs). Based on the data from these investigations, KTC developed a number of recommendations to …

Transition Zone Design Final Report, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Adam J. Kirk, Andrea Cull, Austin Dahlem

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to document the activities of the research effort and present the findings of the work accomplished. Transition zone is the area in which it is communicated to drivers that the roadway environment is changing (i.e., from rural to built-up) and that their speed should change as well. This study evaluated treatments that could advise drivers to this. Based on the study findings, it is recommended to add additional speed warning sites to such transition zones.

Tools For Applying Constructability Concepts To Project Development (Design), Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Paul Goodrum, Emily Shocklee, Roy Sturgill, Chen Wang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to document the activities of Phases I and II of the research effort and present the findings of the work accomplished. Phase I developed the Constructability Review Database for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Phase II conducted a benefit analysis of the constructability review process. The database provides the basis for entry and collection of constructability reviews and allows for the identification of trends leading to potential improvements of the process. The database can be used to summarize activities, generate reports for a project, and be capable of quantifying the benefits from the process. …

Tools For Applying Constructability Concepts To Project Development (Design), Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Paul Goodrum, Emily Shocklee, Chen Wang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to document the activities of Phase I of the research effort and present the development of the Constructability Review Database developed for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The database provides the basis for entry and collection of constructability reviews and allows for the identification of trends leading to potential improvements of the process. The database can be used to summarize activities, generate reports for a project, and be capable of quantifying the benefits from the process.

Improved Bridge Expansion Joints, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Bobby W. Meade

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has both open and closed bridge expansion joints and associated details that are problematic. Several state highway agencies (SHA) have joints that they believe are superior performers to other types and have prepared guidance documents for their use. A literature search indicated that several previous research studies, including national surveys, addressing SHA joint practices have been conducted over the past 10 years. For up-to-date information, a new set of surveys were developed and distributed to all the SHAs by email through the AASHTO Subcommittee on Maintenance-Bridge Technical Working Group chairman in June 2010. There were …

Change Orders And Lessons Learned, Paul Goodrum, Timothy R. B. Taylor, William Lester, Alex Mccoy, Mohammed M. Uddin, Yongwei Shan

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Many times, change is necessary for the success of a project. “Change, defined as any event that results in a modification of the original scope, execution time, or cost of work, happens on most projects due to the uniqueness of each project and the limited resources of time and money available for planning” (Hanna, Camlic, Peterson,& Nordheim, 2002). While change orders are necessary to address unforeseen conditions and other unavoidable or unanticipated occurrences, they tend to negatively affect construction. In most public works, change orders are the main reason for construction delays and cost overruns (Wu, Hsieh, & Cheng, 2005). …

An Analysis Of The Direct And Indirect Costs Of Utility And Right-Of-Way Conflicts On Construction Roadway Projects, Paul M. Goodrum, Fady Kari, Adam Smith, Ben Slaughter, Chris N. Jones

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Utility conflicts are unfortunately a common occurrence on many roadway projects. This report examines the frequency and severity of utility conflicts both within and outside of Kentucky. Understanding which type of utility conflicts most likely occur and the potential magnitude of their costs when will help the Cabinet better understand the risk of utility conflicts on future projects. The report details a series of five case studies that quantified the direct and indirect costs of utility conflicts on previous projects. The report also reports on the result a national survey of 45 state utility directors (out of a possible of …

Innovative Rapid Construction/Reconstruction Methods, Paul M. Goodrum, Yinggang Wang, Chris N. Jones, Philippe C. Fenouil, Donn E. Hancher

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Innovative construction and reconstruction methods provide the opportunity to significantly reduce the time of roadway projects while maintaining the necessary quality of workmanship. The need for these “rapid” methods stems from the increase in traffic on Kentucky roadways coupled with the rise in conventional road and bridge construction methods. Conventional construction methods cannot maintain the demand for progress necessitated by the future needs of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, especially the current philosophy of “Get In, Get Out, and Stay Out.” This research documents a series of case studies that examined past projects which used innovative rapid construction methods. This document …

Environmental Commitment Follow-Up, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Three recently completed road construction projects were investigated to determine Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) effectiveness in implementing project commitments (including environmental commitments). Documentation was obtained from KYTC districts in which the projects were constructed and KYTC officials involved with the projects from planning through construction were interviewed. The projects were inspected to audit completion of project commitments. Key stakeholders (officials of local governments, resource agencies, MPOs, interest groups, and adjacent landowners) were interviewed about the projects. They were asked to grade KYTC for implementation of project commitments using a standard report card format. The findings for these investigations are presented. …

Evaluation Of Us 119 Pine Mountain Safety Improvements: Ihsdm Analysis Of Post Construction, Will Conkin, Nikiforos Stamatiadis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The spot improvements on US 119 in Letcher County between Whitesburg and Partridge were an attempt to improve safety throughout the corridor. To achieve this goal, the roadway alignment and cross section were changed at various locations. In addition, problems related to truck traffic were considered in redefining the roadway geometries. The total length of the spot improvement locations was approximately 6.9 miles.

Evaluation Of Current Incentive/Disincentive Procedures In Construction, Brad W. Rister, Yuhong Wang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study was initiated to take an in-depth look at the current time and material incentive/disincentive program associated with highway construction projects in Kentucky. The current incentive/disincentive program was first initiated in the mid to late 90’s. However, not until recently had some of the original mechanisms of the program been revisited and/or up-dated.

From the early stages of this study it was anticipated that many of the concerns regarding the use of both time/material incentives and disincentives on highway construction projects in Kentucky would be addressed. Therefore, at the onset of this project the study advisory committee made a …

Safety And Health Concerns For Kytc And Contractor Personnel, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study was initiated to provide a review of safety and health issues related to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) construction activities including both KYTC and contractor personnel. Work included a literature search, interviews with KYTC resident engineers, and both a survey of and subsequent meeting with district construction safety coordinators. Recommendations are provided for implementing changes to improve safety and health regulatory compliance for both KYTC and contractor personnel.

Evaluation Of Working Capacity For Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (Dbe) For Highway Construction In Kentucky, Fy 2004 Update, Brad W. Rister, Raymond F. Werkmeister, Paul E. Toussaint

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Center gathered the appropriate information, performed a series of computations and analyses, prepared the attached documentation, and makes the following recommendations to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for their DBE goal for Federal Fiscal year 2004 (October 1, 2003 - September 30, 2004).

KTC recommends an overall DBE goal of 9.26%, of which 1.931% is anticipated to be satisfied by race/gender neutral prime contracts, and the resultant 7.33% should established as race/gender conscious subcontracts. The overall DBE goal figures stated here addresses an adjustment of 1.326% for the positive historical goal variance observed for the past eight years.

Assessment And Modeling Of Stream Mitigation Procedures [2003], Bernadette S. Dupont, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

As population increases, so does the need to improve and augment the road network. Construction of new roadways or modification of existing roads often requires diversion or modification of streams. If a stream is disturbed, government regulations require mitigation or compensatory replacement of the affected area in a similar environment. Stream mitigation is of particular importance in Kentucky, as Kentucky ranks second in the United States for having the most miles of waterways. Consequently, stream mitigation has become a significant factor in roadway construction costs. To date, no studies have been made to assess the execution of the mitigation plans …

Safety Impacts Of Rural Road Construction, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Crash data in Kentucky show that the fatal crash rate on two-lane rural roads is substantially higher than on any other type of road. Improvements have been proposed at some locations on this type of road which involve either upgrading the existing two-lane road or adding lanes resulting in a four-lane road. As part of the public information process, highway officials have been asked to document the previous results of this type of construction. The objectives of this study were to: 1) identify sections of two-lane rural roadways where either the two-lane road had been realigned and reconstructed or additional …

Nighttime Construction Issues, Donn E. Hancher, Timothy R. B. Taylor

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report addresses several issues to consider when considering performing highway construction work in Kentucky at night. Surveys of other state departments of transportation and Kentucky highway contractors were made to identify best practices and concerns. An advisory committee of experienced KyTC engineers plus contractor representatives met extensively to identify successful approaches for handling key issues which arise on night-time construction projects.

Seventeen specific recommendations have been proposed to enhance the Cabinet's use of night-time construction for its projects. These cover several issues related to night-time work, including contract requirements, traffic control, law enforcement, personnel issues, lighting and public awareness. …

Long-Term Monitoring Of Experimental Features, Subtask 2: Alexandria-Ashland Highway (Ky 9) Pavement Performance Monitoring, L. John Fleckenstein, Monica L. Osborne, David L. Allen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Construction on the AA Highway began in late 1985 and was completed in late 1990. Prior to construction, 30 different test sections had been designed into the highway for evaluation. The test sections contain 23 different characteristic qualities and different segment lengths. The segment lengths range from 1.28 to 9.13 miles and took one and a half to four years to complete each segment.

The sections were constructed from various pavement and shoulder designs. The designs are varied by parameters such as the type of subgrade stabilization, drainage type, surface class, surface aggregate, and more. The purpose for monitoring the …

Evaluation Of Superpave In Kentucky, L. John Fleckenstein, David L. Allen, Richard Reitenour

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Approximately 93 percent of all pavements in the United States are surfaced with hot-mix asphalt (HMA). For many decades, most asphalt pavements were designed using the Marshall mix design method. In 1987, the Strategic Highway Research Program was established with 50 million dollars being allocated for asphalt pavement research. From that research, a new asphalt mix design procedure, called Superpave, was developed. Many states have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, this procedure, including Kentucky. In 1995, Kentucky placed its first Superpave mixture on KY 676 in Franklin County. In 1998, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet requested that the …

Development Of A Critical Path Method Specification And A Training Program For Use Of Cpm For Kytc, Donn E. Hancher, Raymond F. Werkmeister, Sion L. Tesone

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Critical Path Method scheduling technique is outlined as it applies to KYTC projects. Special Provision 82 (94) and its requirements are outlined.

Cost Estimating And Forecasting For Highway Work In Kentucky [1996], James D. Stevens, Jennifer R. Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

There is a need for better cost estimating and forecasting for highway work in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. KRS45.245 grants the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation oversight of the biennial highway plan, including a review of all authorized highway project phases that exceed their estimates by 15%. In recent years, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has suffered the loss of many resources necessary to produce good cost estimates.

Estimates developed using current methods are not sufficiently accurate to preclude cost overruns in excess of 15%. Over the 1992 and 1994 bienniums, 362 overruns totaling $162,487,511 have been submitted to the Committee. …

Bearing Capacity Analysis Of Pavements, Tommy C. Hopkins

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A multilayered, mathematical model for analyzing the ultimate bearing capacity of soil subgrades and asphalt pavements is presented. Theoretical considerations and mathematical derivations of limit equilibrium equations, based on plasticity principles, for analyzing the ultimate bearing capacity of soil subgrades and partially completed asphalt pavements, and the extension of these equations to the analyses of asphalt pavements composed of multiple layers, are presented. The model is unique since shear strength parameters, Φ and c, (the angle of internal friction and cohesion, respectively) are used to describe each layer of material of the pavement structure and a factor of safety against …

Sprinkle-Treated Asphaltic Concrete Surface Course, Donald C. Newberry Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report gives details of construction and some skid resistance data from experimental sprinkle-treatment placed in Nelson County, Kentucky, north of Bardstown, US 31-E. The various types of aggregate, application rates, and precoating processes are reported.