<p>In our daily use of the transportation system, we are faced with several road construction work zones. These construction work zones change how road users interact with the transportation system due to the changes that occur in the system such as increased travel times, increased delay times and vehicle stopped times. A microscopic traffic simulation was developed to depict the changes that occur in the transportation system. The impacts of the changes in the transportation system on the human travel behavior was investigated using ordered probit and logit models using five independent variables; age, gender, driving experience, annual mileage and percentage of non-work trips. Finally, a business impact assessment framework was developed to assess the impact of the road construction work zones on various businesses categories such as grocery stores, pharmacy, liquor stores and fast foods. Traffic simulation results showed that the introduction of work zones in the road network introduces an increase in delay times, vehicle stopped times, and travel times. Also, the change in average travel times, delay times and vehicle stopped times differed from road link to link. The observed average changes saw an increase as high as 318 seconds per vehicle, 237 seconds per vehicle and 242 seconds per vehicle for travel time, delay time and vehicle stopped time, respectively, for the morning peak period. An average increase as high as 1607 seconds per vehicle, 258 seconds per vehicle and 265 seconds per vehicle was observed for travel time, delay time and vehicle stopped time, respectively, for the afternoon peak period. The statistical model results indicated that, on a work trip, a high driving experience, high annual mileage, and high percentage of non-work trips makes an individual more likely to change their route. The results also showed gender difference in route choice behavior. Concerning business impacts, businesses in the work zone were impacted differently with grocery and pharmacy stores having the highest and lowest total loss in revenue, respectively.</p>

Noise pollution can mask or distort bird songs, which inhibits mating success, predator detection, and parental response to begging calls. Road noise can cause lowered density and reproductive success in songbirds. I examined the impact of construction noise on reproductive success and territory selection of golden-cheeked warblers (Dendroica chrysoparia) at 3 sites: adjacent to road construction, adjacent to road-noise only, and a control with no noise or construction activity. I also examined birds' responses to experimental playback of construction noise to determine if warblers alter behavior in the presence of introduced road construction noise, if they have habituated to construction noise, and whether habituation is hindering their reproductive success. I used the Vickery reproductive index to evaluate productivity and automatic recording units to assess the levels of ambient noise in each site. From 2007-2009, productivity was stable in the road-noise only site and showed more annual variation in the construction and control sites; productivity was nearly identical in the latter 2 sites in 2008 and 2009. There was no significant difference in productive territory locations based on distance from road. Ambient noise was similar in the construction and roadnoise only sites but significantly different from the control. To examine habituation and territory placement, I (1) used construction noise playback to individual birds and evaluated occurrence of behavioral response as a function of distance from the roadway, and (2) established broadcast stations that simulate construction noise to determine impacts on territory selection. Of 88 surveys, 6 birds responded to construction noise playback. I conducted 18 control surveys and observed 1 behavioral response. All birds that responded were located greater than or equal to 140 m from the road. I established 3 broadcast stations per season in 2008 and 2009. In each year I placed broadcast units on the edges of randomly chosen territories identified during the previous field season. There was not a significant difference in mean territory shifts for broadcast and non-broadcast unit territories, and territory shifts did not show patterns in directionality or in reproductive success. Results suggest that construction noise does not appear to affect behavior or reproductive success of golden-cheeked warblers.

This dissertation compares and analyzes the relationship of design-build (DB) and design-bid-build (DBB) project delivery methods with performance metrics of large highway projects. Project performance is measured in terms of cost, schedule, safety, change orders, and quality on these two types of highway projects. The performance benchmarking methodology used here is derived from work done on a Texas Department of Transportation (TX DOT) study of the State Highway (SH) 130 Project. Because SH 130 is the first DB highway project in Texas and is being built under a new contractual concept called the Comprehensive Development Agreement (CDA), this dissertation establishes a framework for evaluating the performance of large DB highway projects. The CDA approach is an innovative form of the DB project delivery method that allows the contractor to simultaneously undertake right-of-way acquisition, utility adjustment, design, and construction activities. Because this approach is being used for the first time on a state highway project in Texas, it is beneficial to track highway project performance in order to assess whether this project delivery method is a better alternative for building high priority highways. The main objective of this dissertation is thus to compare the performance of large recent DB highway projects (in the context of SH 130) with similar on-going instate DBB highway projects. The research hypothesis is to determine whether there is a statistical difference in mean performance between DB and DBB highway projects. For large, recently built DB highway projects (Federal Highway Administration, Special Experimental Project Number 14 & Cost > US $ 100 million) and four of the largest, most recently built in-state DBB highway projects are identified for comparison purposes. This dissertation provides a detailed methodology to collect data and gives the results of performance benchmarking of these large DB and DBB highway projects. It also investigates associations or relationships between project characteristics (input variables) and project performance (output variables) of large highway projects. While previous analyses of DB and DBB methods have included a wide range of construction projects as varied as buildings and industrial facilities, this dissertation isolates the analysis of these two delivery approaches for large highway projects. It also helps to develop a method to collect data for benchmarking of large highway projects. This research should help TX DOT choose the appropriate delivery method for large future highway projects. / text

Not available

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The status of a foreman in modern day production is dependent upon a number of' factors, many of which are beyond his control. It has been said that the foreman stands "victim, not monarch” in this situation which has been created largely by economic conditions in our economy. But, these conditions have not affected all industries in the same manner. It is the purpose of this paper to investigate the status determining conditions in the highway construction industry. To evaluate these status determining conditions, the highway construction industry is first studied through existing library sources. To substantiate these findings, empirical research was then done in two highway construction firms, one large and one small. The following criteria were used to evaluate the foreman's status: influence on top management in decision making, economic contributions to the firm, authority over production, staff interference, foreman control within his division, channels of information, visibility of position to top management, upward mobility, security of position ease of replacement, operative skill level supervised, importance of position in the firm, and remuneration. From the information gathered, it appears that foremen in the highway construction industry have a higher status rating than do most foremen in other types or industries. / M.S.

The technical development of highways in Russia is 40-50 years behind the development of motorways in leading foreign countries. Therefore, it can be argued that to date, road construction is not actively engaged in innovative activities. The purpose of this work is to develop a methodological approach to improving the efficiency of road construction enterprises based on their innovative activities. The sources used were educational and research literature, statistical collections, normative documentation, and materials of the scientific press. The master's thesis developed a methodological approach to improving the efficiency of road construction enterprises, based on the proposed two-stage algorithm for selecting priority areas of innovative development of the enterprise and specific innovative projects, the implementation of which will make the greatest contribution to improving the efficiency of the enterprise. / Техническое развитие автомобильных дорог в России отстаёт на 40–50 лет в своём развитии от автомагистралей в ведущих зарубежных странах. Поэтому можно утверждать, что на сегодняшний день в дорожном строительстве недостаточно активно осуществляется инновационная деятельность. Цель работы состоит в разработке методического подхода к повышению эффективности функционирования дорожно-строительного предприятия на основе его инновационной деятельности. В качестве источников использовалась учебно-методическая и научно-исследовательская литература, статистические сборники, нормативная документация, материалы научной печати. В магистерской диссертации был разработан методический подход к повышению эффективности функционирования дорожно-строительного предприятия, основанный на предложенном двухэтапном алгоритме выбора приоритетных направлений инновационного развития предприятия и конкретных инновационных проектов, внедрение которых внесет наибольший вклад в повышение эффективности деятельности предприятия.

Sedan mitten av 90-talet har byggkostnaderna ökat drastiskt i Sverige samtidigt som konkurrens från utländska entreprenörer ökat vilket gör att de svenska entreprenörerna måste hitta nya lösningar för att få ner produktionskostnaderna för att vara fortsatt konkurrenskraftiga. En stor kostnadspost är slöseri i form av stillestånd och dåligt utnyttjande av resurser som är en risk kopplad till bristfällig planering. Vid vägprojekt är masshanteringen en central del och står för ca 25% av den totala kostnaden vilket gör det till en attraktiv fråga att hantera i projektet och söka alternativa lösningar och optimeringar för att få ner kostnaden. Detta examensarbete har därför inriktats mot att undersöka hur digitala projektstyrningsverktyg kan bidra med att minska kostnader och risker för entreprenörer vid schakt &amp; fyllnadsarbeten i vägprojekt. Detta genom att införa verktyg som massoptimering baserad på linjär programmering samt tidlägesplanering i vägprojekt. För att undersöka detta har tre forskningsfrågor tagits fram   FF 1: Vilka metoder finns tillgängliga för att produktionsplanera vägprojekt och hur kan de implementeras? FF 2: Hur kan digital massoptimering och tidlägesplanering minska kostnaderna för entreprenören? FF 3: Hur kan digital massoptimering och tidlägesplanering minska riskerna för entreprenören?   För att besvara forskningsfrågorna har en litteraturstudie inom massoptimering och tidlägesplanering samt en fallstudie av ett vägprojekt i Segersta som består av en 850 meter lång ny vägsträcka samt en vägport under befintlig järnväg genomförts. Fallstudien har huvudsakligen gjorts med hjälp av dataprogrammet Dynaroad och består av tre huvudsakliga delar vilka är datainsamling, en Dynaroad-modell baserad på den ursprungliga tidplan som gjordes inför projektet samt en optimerad modell som sedan jämförs mot anbudskalkylen och den ursprungliga tidplanen.   Resultaten från fallstudien påvisar att förbättringspotential finns på en mängd punkter såsom Tidsplanering, Resursplanering, Massoptimering samt granskning av anbudskalkyl inför produktionsstart.     Fallstudien visar att kostnaden för dumprar i projektet kan minskas med ca 20% jämfört med anbudskalkylen. Kostnaden för produktionsresurser, som exempelvis grävmaskiner och vältar, kan minskas med 30% jämfört med vad den ursprungliga tidplanen hade kostat vilket motsvarar en total besparing på 12% sett till schakt &amp; fyll-aktiviteterna i projektet. Med dagens mjukvara blir det möjligt för entreprenörer att på ett enklare sätt implementera metoder som Line of Balance &amp; Massoptimeringar och på så vis förbättra sin produktionsplanering på ett betydligt enklare sätt än vad som varit möjligt tidigare. Genom att modellera upp en tidplan med verktyg som Line of Balance kan entreprenören snabbt se förbättringsområden såsom produktionskrockar och aktiviteter som kan behöva fler eller färre resurser. Detta ger entreprenören en större kontroll över utförandet vilket kan bidra till att produktionen håller den budget som är uppsatt i anbudskalkylen. Kombinerat med en massoptimering levererar det två starka verktyg för att förbättra dagens produktionsplanering som bör ha en central roll i framtida vägprojekt. / Since the mid-1990s, construction costs have increased drastically in Sweden, meanwhile competition from foreign entrepreneurs has increased, which means that Swedish entrepreneurs must find new solutions to lower production costs in order to remain competitive. Here unnecessary costs associated with inadequate planning emerges in the form of downtimes and poor utilization of resources. Earthwork operations in road construction, which accounts for about 25% of the total construction cost, provides opportunities for optimizations and alternative solutions to lower the construction cost. This master thesis are therefore focused on examining how digital project management tools can contribute to reducing costs and risks for contractors in cut &amp; fill activities in road projects using mass optimization and location-based time planning methods. Three research questions have been posed:   RQ 1: What methods are available for production planning of road projects and how can they be implemented? RQ 2: How can digital mass optimization and time planning reduce the costs for the contractor? RQ 3: How can digital mass optimization and time planning reduce the risks for the contractor?   To answer the research questions, a literature study in mass optimization and time-planning has been carried out along with a case study of a road construction project in Segersta, Sweden. The case study consists of an 850-meter-long new road section and an underpass below the existing railway. The software Dynaroad have been used to plan the road construction in the case study. The case study was divided in three main steps; (1)  data collection, (2) a Dynaroad model based on the original time schedule that was made prior to the project and (3) the optimized model was then compared against the bid calculation and the original schedule.   The results of the case study show that the potential for improvement exists in a number of points, such as Time Planning, Resource Planning, Mass Optimization and examination of bid calculations prior to production start. The case study shows that the cost of dumpers in the project can be reduced by about 20% compared to the bid estimate. The cost of production resources, such as excavators and rollers, can be reduced by 30% compared to what the original timetable had cost, which corresponds to a total saving of 12% in terms of the cut &amp; fill activities in the project. Today's software makes it possible for contractors to implement methods such as the Line of Balance &amp; Mass optimization to improve their production planning in a much simpler way than previously possible. With Line of Balance schedules the contractor can quickly see improvement areas such as production clashes and activities that may need more or less resources. This gives the contractor greater control over the execution, which can contribute to keeping the budget set in the bid calculation. Combined with a mass optimization, it delivers two strong tools to improve today's production planning that should have a central role in the planning and execution of future road projects.

Asphaltstraßenkonstruktionen werden sowohl durch den Verkehr als auch thermisch, hervorgerufen durch die klimatischen Umgebungsbedingungen, belastet. Veränderungen dieser Klimabedingungen wirken sich unmittelbar auf die Steifigkeit und somit die Widerstandsfähigkeit gegenüber den in die Straßenbefestigungen eingetragenen Verkehrslasten aus. Zukünftige klimatische Veränderungen können, werden sie nicht rechtzeitig und zutreffend erfasst sowie bei der Dimensionierung von Asphaltstraßenkonstruktionen adäquat berücksichtigt, zu einer frühzeitigen substanziellen Schädigung (Ermüdung) großer Teile des Straßenverkehrsnetzes führen. Für einen sowohl im ökonomischen als auch im ökologischen Sinn nachhaltigen Straßenbau ist es notwendig, umfangreiche Kenntnisse zu den Belastungsfaktoren einer Straße sowie zu deren zukünftigen Entwicklungen zu erlangen. / The asphalt road surface response depends on the traffic loads and the temperatures within the asphalt layers. Any change in the climatic conditions directly influences the inflexibility properties and thus the resistance to permanent deformation of the asphalt layers. Future climatic changes may lead to early road surface damage if they are not considered adequately within the design process. For this reason, a broad knowledge of the relevant load factors is imperative as a basis for economically and ecologically sustainable road surface design and construction in the future.

Satisfaction has consistently been a source of concern to clients, stakeholders and customers in the construction industry globally. In Nigeria, despite the huge financial investments in construction and its associated economic benefits, construction projects are characterized by poor quality in aesthetics, high costs in maintenance and failure to meet or exceed the customers’ quality expectations. An even greater challenge is faced when considering government construction projects as re- occurring issues like on time delivery, operational and aesthetic excellence and even project abandonment continue to resurface. Although previous studies have developed models and frameworks to improve customer satisfaction in product and service organisations, researchers have not treated in detail issues involving customer satisfaction within projects which do not have profits and financial gains as the driving force such as government construction projects. The aim of this research was to develop a framework that would identify particular areas associated with project quality where adequate resources could be channelled in order to enhance customer satisfaction in government road construction projects in Rivers State, Nigeria. Sequel to an extensive literature review, a conceptual framework was developed to establish the relationship between three attributes of project quality namely performance, reliability and aesthetics and two attributes of customer satisfaction measured through contractor re-patronage and referral. 503 road construction practitioners within the Port Harcourt metropolis of Rivers State, Nigeria participated in a quantitative survey and data obtained was subjected to stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results showed that a strong, positive and significant relationship existed between the attributes of project quality and customer satisfaction with project quality explaining 54.8% of the variance in contractor re-patronage and 61.8% of the variance in contractor referral. Performance was however found to have the greatest effect on contractor re-patronage (R2=.550, adjusted R2=.548) while aesthetics had the highest effect on contractor referral (R2=.572, adjusted R2= .571). Reliability was found to have the weakest effect on customer satisfaction and could be attributed to its civil and structural Engineering links which are either unknown or invisible to the customer. 10 structured interviews with construction professionals were used to validate the developed framework and justify the research design. The findings support the framework and suggest that the knowledge and analysis of the construction costs, the use of competent professional experts, the provision of a revised legal framework for road construction, delegation of responsibility for road maintenance, avoidance of project abandonment, identifying and mitigating construction risks, adopting a strategy for project monitoring, enforcing health and safety considerations, provision of innovative excitement factors as well as post project evaluations were essential for enhancing project quality and customer satisfaction from government road construction projects. The study advocates for an adoption of the framework and concludes by making recommendations including the incorporation of government and private construction practitioners and further identifies areas for future study.