NCHRP 10-58 "Construction Engineering and Management Research Program"

Ten years have passed since the last assessment of research and
development needs in highway construction engineering and management
(CEM). A new research program is necessary to indicate the direction and
focus of future research. This study identified the critical issues
requiring future research and development. The research program
indicated topics in which future research will reduce the cost and
improve the efficiency of CEM of transportation projects.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Texas A&M University teamed up
to complete the research project. Assessment and prioritization of
research needs were conducted through a preliminary survey and the
Delphi process. The Delphi process consisted of a series of three
questionnaires called rounds. The first and second rounds surveyed
highway industry professionals to rank and identify issues. The
third-round was employed to clarify specific problem areas, barriers to
implementation, and gaps in knowledge.

A comprehensive literature search was conducted, with aid from the
third-round survey results, to investigate past research conducted on
the most critical highway CEM issues identified by the Delphi
respondents. Information that was gathered during the literature search
was used to compose draft research problem statements and objectives for
future research projects.

The draft research problem statements were presented at a research panel
meeting in December of 2000 to validate the issues and objectives.
Modifications were made to various issue statements from changes
recommended by the research panel.

The draft research problem statements were examined again at a workshop
held on March 5^th^ and 6^th^ 2001 in Irvine, California. Fifty-five
experts representing a broad cross section of the industry from around
the country gathered to aid the research team in creating a research
program that would help address the problems of State Highway Agencies
in the area of construction engineering and management.

On July 20th 2001, a draft final report was submitted to NCHRP
documenting the entire research effort. The recommended research
program, including individual research problem statements, and an
implementation plan was incorporated into the final report. The results
of the literature search were thoroughly and completely described to
represent a significant portion of the final report documentation. The
report summarizes the efforts to produce the recommended research
program and implementation plan.

The following 17 statements are the research problem statement titles in
the order of the recommended implementation plan:

> 1\. Evaluation of the use of incentives/disincentives I/Ds to reduce
> time to complete highway projects
>
> 2\. Analysis of nighttime construction activities and impacts on
> safety, quality, and productivity

3.  Expanded use of contractor-performed QC processes for acceptance of
    highway projects

4.  Implementation of the use of new materials into highway construction
    practice

5.  Innovative rapid construction/reconstruction methods

6.  Improve safety of public and workers during highway reconstruction
    and maintenance

7.  Alternative contracting methods and delivery systems to facilitate
    faster construction/reconstruction

8.  Impact of strategies to manage traffic during highway projects on
    construction methods, productivity, schedule, and quality.

9.  Recruiting, promoting, and retaining of qualified personnel in
    highway construction

10. Implementation and evaluation of performance-related specifications
    (PRS) for highway construction

11. Identification, evaluation, and implementation of rapid test methods
    and non-destructive testing (NDT) to assess quality in the
    construction process

12. Training and workforce development of SHA personnel

13. Constructability review process implementation plan

14. Determination of strategies to manage the reduced staff size and
    increased workload of SHA personnel

15. Identification, evaluation, and implementation of
    performance-related acceptance tests

16. Best practices for community outreach during construction

17. Best practices for managing environmental restrictions and
    requirements

The recommended research program is expected to span approximately 10
years.

The research team is currently awaiting the NCHRP 10-58 panel's review
and comments.

Jeffrey S. Russell, Ph.D., P.E.

Professor and Chair of Program

Construction Engineering & Management, UW-Madison

Address: 2304 Engineering Hall

1415 Engineering Drive

Madison, WI 53706

Phone: (608) 262-7244

FAX: (608) 265-9860

E-mail: [russell@engr.wisc.edu]{.underline}

Http: [www.engr.wisc.edu/cee/faculty/russell_jeffrey.html]{.underline}