The conditions of practical action: Neoliberalism and sustainability in the Australian road construction industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1501-1515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron White
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Practical Action ◽  
The Road

In the last decade, in the context of debates about climate change, the Australian road construction industry has focused on increasing efficiencies within road construction processes. This approach to environmental impact management is congruent with existing (road-centric) trajectories of infrastructure development. At the same time, however, it also institutionalises the systemic environmental impacts of the road network. This article examines the historical conditions within which this focus on construction efficiencies emerged as the basis of practical action. Firstly, it examines the neoliberal strategies that led to the privatisation of the Australian road construction industry in the 1990s. Secondly, these Australian road industry strategies are compared with other industry-centred harm-management initiatives and traced back to the tobacco industry tactics of the 1950s and 1960s. Finally, this article argues for a broader, interdisciplinary approach to the analysis and management of environmental impact.

scholarly journals Causes of Delays in Road Construction Projects in Laos

2020 ◽  
pp. 19-32
Author(s):  
Bounthipphasert Soumphonphakdy ◽  
Shozo Nakamura ◽  
Toshihiro Okumatsu ◽  
Takafumi Nishikawa
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
The Road ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Causes Of Delays ◽  
Financial Issues

One of the most important sectors in infrastructure development in Laos is road construction. However, many road construction projects in Laos suffer from extensive delays. This causes damage such as recurring problems in the road construction industry, and has a negative effect on the success of road construction projects in terms of schedule, cost, quality, safety and the amenity of road users. The goal of this study is to determine the main causes of these delays and to offer remedies. To identify the causes of delays, a questionnaire is designed by modifying one used to measure causes of delays in road construction projects in the West Bank in Palestine and in consultation with engineering experts with more than 10 years of experience in Laos road construction projects. A total of 53 causes of delay are identified as important in Laos. Questionnaire respondents included 35 contractors, 31 owners and 24 consultants in total. The survey results indicate that the five top factors causing road construction delays are: Contractor cash flow; Delayed payment by owner; Difficulties in financing project by contractor; Financial issues related to owner; and Insufficient equipment and vehicles for the work.

scholarly journals THE PENETRATION OF ENGINEERING BY ECONOMICS: McFADDEN AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF ROAD DEMAND ESTIMATION

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-278
Author(s):  
Ariane Dupont-Kieffer ◽  
Sylvie Rivot ◽  
Jean-Loup Madre
Keyword(s):  
Road Network ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Demand Estimation ◽  
Demand Modeling ◽  
The Road ◽  
Collective Decisions ◽  
The Face ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
On The Road ◽  
The 1960S

The golden age of road demand modeling began in the 1950s and flourished in the 1960s in the face of major road construction needs. These macro models, as well as the econometrics and the data to be processed, were provided mainly by engineers. A division of tasks can be observed between the engineers in charge of estimating the flows within the network and the transport economists in charge of managing these flows once they are on the road network. Yet the inability to explain their decision-making processes and individual drives gave some room to economists to introduce economic analysis, so as to better understand individual or collective decisions between transport alternatives. Economists, in particular Daniel McFadden, began to offer methods to improve the measure of utility linked to transport and to inform the engineering approach. This paper explores the challenges to the boundaries between economics and engineering in road demand analysis.

scholarly journals MODERN DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIA'S ROAD SECTOR: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-11
Author(s):  
Наталья Борисова ◽  
Natal'ya Borisova ◽  
Елена Егорова ◽  
Elena Egorova ◽  
Александр Борисов ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
The Road ◽  
Modern Development ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Advanced Development

The article considers the most important component of the transport infrastructure - the road infrastructure, which at the same time is one of the most important spheres of economic activity. The socio-economic development of the Russian Federation has been studied, requiring advanced development and modernization of the road network as part of the transport infrastructure of the country and world space, as well as improving the technical level of road construction.

scholarly journals Recent trends of the emission characteristics from the road construction industry

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 301-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sippy K. Chauhan ◽  
Anuradha Shukla ◽  
S. Gangopadhyay ◽  
Sangita Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Emission Characteristics ◽  
The Road ◽  
Recent Trends

Methodology of Inventory the Real Estate Components for the Purpose of Their Valuation Due to Road Construction – Case Study in Krakow

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Siejka ◽  
Monika Mika
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
The Real ◽  
The Real Estate ◽  
The Road ◽  
Investment Process

The development of the communication systems determines the economic level of the country. In Poland, despite the successive investments in this area, it is still not enough beneficial solutions to the road network and international calls. The problem of the acquisition of property for public roads on both the valuation principles and the way of obtaining land for these purposes is constantly modified. These changes are intended to simplify the procedures, which have a significant impact on shortening of the investment process. The current provisions of law give the possibility of the start of road investment before a property owner receives compensation for land taken for this purpose. This situation requires an inventory of component parts of the property for the purposes of their valuation. The paper presents the methodology of inventory the real estate components for the needs of their valuation using modern measurement techniques GNSS and GIS.

scholarly journals The Conjugated Triangle Method CTM of the detection of inconsistent bids in the construction industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 219 ◽  
pp. 04003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hubert Anysz ◽  
Krzysztof Kaczorek
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
The Other ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Road ◽  
Bid Price ◽  
Triangle Method ◽  
Two Parameters ◽  
Means Of Production

The existing system of bids evaluation in the construction industry does not bring the clients the certainty if all placed bids comprise real, achievable prices. Especially in the road construction sector, where the earthworks create significant part of the works, comparing e.g. the price of 1 km of roads often gives misleading results. The paper comprises the complete proposal to modify the scope of information provided by offerors in the public procurements (in the construction industry) allowing the clients to determine easily if the contractors have placed the consistent offers i.e. if the bid prices are not too high and if the lowest bid price is not a dumping price. The Conjugated Triangle Method (CTM) of inconsistent bid detection in construction industry is based on the three inter-related parameters: means of production, time of works, on the value of works. Regardless of the offered price it should match the other two parameters.

Coupling Natural Hazard Estimates with Road Network Analysis to Assess Vulnerability and Risk: Case Study of Freetown (Sierra Leone)

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (8) ◽  
pp. 11-24
Author(s):  
Andrew Nelson ◽  
Sarah Lindbergh ◽  
Lucy Stephenson ◽  
Jeremy Halpern ◽  
Fatima Arroyo Arroyo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Transportation Infrastructure ◽  
The Road ◽  
Public Data ◽  
Road Intersections ◽  
Flooding Events

Many of the world’s most disaster-prone cities are also the most difficult to model and plan. Their high vulnerability to natural hazards is often defined by low levels of economic resources, data scarcity, and limited professional expertise. As the frequency and severity of natural disasters threaten to increase with climate change, and as cities sprawl and densify in hazardous areas, better decision-making tools are needed to mitigate the effects of near- and long-term extreme events. We use mostly public data from landslide and flooding events in 2017 in Freetown, Sierra Leone to simulate the events’ impact on transportation infrastructure and continue to simulate alternative high-risk disasters. From this, we propose a replicable framework that combines natural hazard estimates with road network vulnerability analysis for data-scarce environments. Freetown’s most central road intersections and transects are identified, particularly those that are both prone to serviceability loss due to natural hazard and whose disruption would cause the most severe immediate consequences on the entire road supply in terms of connectivity. Variations in possible road use are also tested in areas with potential road improvements, pointing to opportunities to harden infrastructure or reinforce redundancy in strategic transects of the road network. This method furthers network science’s contributions to transportation resilience under hydrometeorological hazard and climate change threats with the goal of informing investments and improving decision-making on transportation infrastructure in data-scarce environments.

Nature and Effects of Low-Volume Roads in Botswana

2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bizzar B. Madzikigwa
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Rapid Improvement ◽  
The Road ◽  
Low Volume Roads ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Sand And Gravel

The road sector in Botswana continues to develop its road network throughout the country at a tremendous rate. When Botswana gained independence in 1966, it had only 10 km (16 mi) of bitumen road. By 1992 the total length of bituminous surfaced road reached 3500 km (2,175 mi) out of a total road network of 18 000 km (11,285 mi). These statistics clearly show that the majority of roads are not yet surfaced; these are low-volume roads that provide access to the rural areas where most of the country’s population is found, though in low density. In spite of the rapid improvement in the quality of the national road network in recent years, much remains to be done. In the early 1970s and early 1980s the rural roads unit was introduced in the Ministry of Works Transport and Communications, which was charged with the responsibility of design and construction of low-volume roads around the country in a bid to integrate the country’s road network. This unit was later disbanded in the 1990s, and all roads are improved through the conventional procurement system using private contractors. For these roads the justification of a surfacing project based on conventional economic return methods does not apply, and worse still, the road improvements have to compete with other amenities for the same limited resources. Three ministries in Botswana are responsible for roads: Ministry of Works Transport and Communications, Ministry of Local Government, and Ministry of Trade, Industry, Wildlife and Tourism. These ministries have different responsibilities for different roads within the country, and earth, sand, and gravel roads are found under the jurisdiction of each of the ministries. The major drawbacks concerning low-volume roads in Botswana are inadequate maintenance, poor road construction materials, and the environmental impacts of the roads. Since the budget and resources are inadequate to keep these roads in good condition, it would be prudent to find technological means that would improve the locally available road construction materials so as to minimize their effects on the environment and vehicle operating costs.

Optimization of Road Networks Using Evolutionary Strategies

1997 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Schweitzer ◽  
Werner Ebeling ◽  
Helge Rosé ◽  
Olaf Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Road Network ◽  
Optimization Problems ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Stationary Regime ◽  
Analytical Approximation ◽  
Evolutionary Strategies ◽  
The Road ◽  
Total Length ◽  
Fitness Value

A road network usually has to fulfill two requirements: (i) it should as far as possible provide direct connections between nodes to avoid large detours; and (ii) the costs for road construction and maintenance, which are assumed proportional to the total length of the roads, should be low. The optimal solution is a compromise between these contradictory demands, which in our model can be weighted by a parameter. The road optimization problem belongs to the class of frustrated optimization problems. In this paper, a special class of evolutionary strategies, such as the Boltzmann and Darwin and mixed strategies, are applied to find differently optimized solutions (graphs of varying density) for the road network, depending on the degree of frustration. We show that the optimization process occurs on two different time scales. In the asymptotic limit, a fixed relation between the mean connection distance (detour) and the total length (costs) of the network exists that defines a range of possible compromises. Furthermore, we investigate the density of states, which describes the number of solutions with a certain fitness value in the stationary regime. We find that the network problem belongs to a class of optimization problems in which more effort in optimization certainly yields better solutions. An analytical approximation for the relation between effort and improvement is derived.

scholarly journals Investigation of Innovation during Bid Evaluation Process in the Road Construction Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 594-613
Author(s):  
Pardeep Kumar Oad ◽  
Stephen Kajewski ◽  
Arun Kumar ◽  
Bo Xia
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Value For Money ◽  
Bidding Strategies ◽  
The Road ◽  
Innovative Products ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Bid Evaluation ◽  
Tender Evaluation

Tender evaluation is the procedure of choosing the best contractor for a particular project from many applicants. Although rational and logical methods can be used for bidding strategies, bid evaluation remains a skill for which an engineer’s verdict is crucial. Contractors commonly witness that tender selection is not an easy job, and the lowest bid does not necessarily win the contract. The tender decision mainly depends on quantifiable measures such as financial costs and paybacks, and qualitative or invisible factors like administrative security accountability, aptitude, and the proficiency of the contractors. Moreover, Bid evaluation is a decision-making procedure that incorporates an extensive criteria range for which the information is not accordingly. Hence, ambiguity linked to such information is not appropriate for this study. This paper aims to evaluate innovation during the bid evaluation process in the road industry. The research results indicate that the private and public sectors in Australia offer innovative products and work methods, given the chance. Therefore, innovation during the bid evaluation process is welcomed and sometimes strongly encouraged. Further, it is important to have strong research in to how to effectively determine value for money in the context of developing suitable and quality roads. Therefore, this research is useful in the context of evaluating factors that help to understand value for money in the road sector in context of bid evaluation process. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091676 Full Text: PDF

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