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Identification of Decision Drivers for the Strategy of Incorporating Utility Relocations into Highway Construction Contracts |
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| Authors: | Chien-Cheng Chou Carlos H. Caldas James T. O’Connor Adam W. Sroka Grant K. Goldman |
| Affiliation: | 1Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, National Central Univ., 300 Jhongda Rd., Jhongli, Taoyuan 32001, Taiwan. E-mail: ccchou@ncu.edu.tw 2Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Texas, 1 University Station C1752, Austin, TX 78712 (corresponding author). E-mail: caldas@mail.utexas.edu 3 Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Texas, 1 University Station C1752, Austin, TX 78712. E-mail: jtoconnor@mail.utexas.edu 4CEO, Advance Vehicles, Inc., 21265 Westwood Drive, Strongsville, OH 44149. E-mail: adam.sroka@advancevehicles.com 5Assistant Project Manager, Pepper Construction of Indiana, 1850 West 15th St., Indianapolis, IN 46202. E-mail: gkgoldman@gmail.com |
| Abstract: | The adjustment of utilities prior to highway construction is a particularly complex and challenging operation. One strategy that has been adopted in the last two decades is to incorporate utility adjustment work into highway construction contracts. In theory, this approach eliminates or reduces some of the complications and risks of utility adjustments. This paper aims to identify and analyze the decision drivers for selecting this strategy and help alleviate its implementation challenges. To this end, a comprehensive literature review and several interviews with experts from state departments of transportation and utility companies were conducted. Assessment surveys regarding the performance of recent projects that used the combined strategy were performed. Conclusions and recommendations for future research are presented. |
| Keywords: | Utilities Highway and roads Decision making Construction management Contracts |