In highway construction, completing projects on time is critical. However, when projects are not completed on time, one of the aspects that is often neglected by the state departments of transportation (DOTs), which causes delays in highway construction, is project closeout. The project closeout phase, if delayed, not only has consequences for transportation agencies and contractors, but also leads to substantial social costs to the public. Despite the potential magnitude of the impact, there is limited knowledge about the factors that cause project closeout delays or about strategies for timely highway construction project closeouts. This study identified the causes that delay highway project closeouts, raises awareness of the implications of delays, and provides recommendations for efficient highway project closeout practices. The research methodology included an extensive literature review, a survey questionnaire (40 state DOTs participating), and case studies of eight state DOTs. The results showed that difficulties in attaining the required documentation, claims and litigations, managing multiple funding sources, a lack of urgency from local utilities/entities, and the lack of sufficient DOT project staff are major factors that delay project closeout. When a highway construction project is not closed out in a timely manner, the DOT can be subject to additional costs, obsolete funding sources, loss of project documentation, loss of staff with project knowledge (through retirement/attrition), and potential adverse impacts on internal and external relationships. The authors provide recommendations for state DOTs to mitigate closeout delays and help ensure timely finalization of highway construction projects.
The mission of state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) has evolved, and their perception has shifted from focusing on constructing new assets to managing and maintaining existing transportation assets and optimizing asset performance. In response to this change, state DOTs began adopting a “transportation asset management” approach, an intensive data-driven decision-making process to maintain and extend the serviceability of transportation assets throughout their lifecycle. However, state DOTs continue to face challenges in conducting cross-asset system analysis and integrating data across systems throughout the asset lifecycle. Conversely, emerging technologies, namely Digital Twins, have the potential to leverage the value of asset data and transform data into valuable insights to inform decision-making. The definition of Digital Twins in the infrastructure industry is inconsistent, and the transition toward a digitized built environment—a preliminary step required for a successful implementation of Digital Twins—has not been investigated. Thus, this paper presents the burning platform for the need for Digital Twins and defines the concept. Additionally, this study investigates the current practices of state DOTs toward the digital transition of their transportation asset data and contextualizes the DOTs’ maturity in the advancement of digital processes. This paper focuses on ancillary asset systems, particularly Roadside, Electronic, and Drainage Asset systems. A web-based survey was developed and distributed to state DOTs for data collection. For each asset, the perceived timeline for digitization was investigated, and three variables related to data digitization were explored: data format, data level of detail, and data collection technique.
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