A Covington County bridge project now being launched by the Mississippi Department of Transportation will be the first test of a two-year program to computerize scheduling of agency projects. Marchman is the author of a new book on SureTrak software, developed by Pennsylvania-based Primavera Systems Inc., a leading provider of construction project management software.
Construction is now just as much about computers, lasers and smarter machines.
The test project now being coordinated by Anderson, Marchman and Paul Crigler, a USM construction engineering technology instructor, calls for replacement of four bridges on the southbound lanes of U.S. 49 between Seminary and Mount Olive by October. SureTrak allows MDOT to better coordinate multiple phases of construction with a contractor, the USM faculty contend. Russell said the state Department of Transportation appreciates SureTrak's capability to prompt a contractor for routine, monthly reports on a project's progress. If it's not on schedule, you can see what's causing it to be behind. Construction-oriented software allows project supervisors to quickly compute how delays, such as bad weather or materials shortages, will influence a project's expected completion date.