Determining Minimum Contract Time for Highway Projects

2000 ◽  
Vol 1712 (1) ◽  
pp. 196-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Fang Shr ◽  
Benjamin P. Thompson ◽  
Jeffrey S. Russell ◽  
Bin Ran ◽  
H. Ping Tserng
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Road User ◽  
User Cost ◽  
Time Curve ◽  
Highway Projects ◽  
The Road ◽  
State Highway ◽  
Florida Department ◽  
The Cost ◽  
State Highway Agencies

An increasing number of state highway agencies (SHAs) are using A (cost) + B (time cost) bidding ( A + B bidding) for highway construction. The A + B bidding concept is designed to shorten the total contract time by allowing each contractor to bid the number of days in which the work can be accomplished, in addition to the traditional cost bid. The SHA is then presented with the problem of determining a reasonable range of contract time submitted by the bidders. Most SHAs do not currently restrict the range of B. However, several problems may arise from an unrestricted range of B. First, if no minimum is set for B, a bidder may inflate the cost bid and submit an unreasonably low B, using the excess cost bid to cover the disincentives charged for exceeding the time bid. Second, if no maximum is set for B, then a bidder with a high B and a low-cost bid may be awarded the job and make an unreasonable amount of money from incentive payments. This study develops a quantified model of the price-time bidding contract. A construction cost-versus-time curve is developed from Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) data. The contractor’s price-versus-time curve is then combined with the road-user cost to determine the optimum lower limit to be set on B. Finally, several projects completed by the Florida DOT will be used to illustrate this model.

scholarly journals Road User Costs for Highway Construction Projects Involving a Lane Closure

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3084
Author(s):  
Jaehyun Choi
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Road User ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
User Cost ◽  
Unique Problem ◽  
User Costs ◽  
State Highway ◽  
Florida Department ◽  
Commercial Software Package ◽  
State Highway Agencies

While for years most American State Highway Agencies (SHAs) have performed Road User Cost (RUC) calculations, no uniformity from state to state has been established. There is scant research available that documents the testing and validation of existing RUC calculation methods for highway rehabilitation projects. Especially scarce are studies addressing the unique problem of accurately calculating RUC in the event of lane closures. This research addresses this problem by describing and comparing two methods of making such calculations: A manual method developed by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), and adopted by many other state agencies, such as the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and a commercial software package.

Fixed Instrumentation for Monitoring Scour at Bridges

1998 ◽  
Vol 1647 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. F. Lagasse ◽  
E. V. Richardson ◽  
J. D. Schall
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Bridge Piers ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Monitoring Methods ◽  
State Highway ◽  
Scour Monitoring ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Maintenance And Inspection ◽  
State Highway Agencies

Research was conducted to develop, test, and evaluate fixed instrumentation that would be both technically and economically feasible for use in measuring maximum scour depth at bridge piers and abutments. A variety of scour-measuring and scour-monitoring methods were tested in the laboratory and in the field, including sounding rods, driven-rod devices, sonic depth finders (fathometers), and buried devices. Two fixed-instrument systems, a low-cost fathometer, and a magnetic slidingcollar device using a driven-rod approach, showed significant promise during initial testing. The project concentrated on installing and testing these two instrument systems under a wide range of bridge substructure geometry, flow, and geomorphic conditions. Both instrument systems met all of the mandatory and many of the desirable criteria established for this research. Cooperative efforts with state highway agencies proved that both systems can be installed with equipment and technical skills normally available to district-level department of transportation maintenance and inspection personnel. The project also provided installation, operation, and fabrication manuals for the low-cost sonic instrument system and magnetic sliding-collar devices.

Some implications of the new speed–volume curves to highway user cost and sizing of roads

1986 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-248
Author(s):  
Satish C. Sharma ◽  
Akhtarhusein Tayebali ◽  
Afifi H. Soliman
Keyword(s):  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Road User ◽  
Vehicle Classification ◽  
User Cost ◽  
Highway Design ◽  
Rural Highways ◽  
Highway Capacity Manual ◽  
The Road ◽  
User Costs ◽  
Road Users

This paper investigates some implications of the speed–volume relationships for two-lane rural highways as proposed in the new edition of the U.S. Highway Capacity Manual, which is expected to be completed soon. The effect of the new speed–volume curves on road user costs is analysed by considering the case of Alberta Transportation. The analysis carried out in this paper indicates that the new speed–volume curves, when employed with the traditional values of other variables, such as vehicle running costs and value of travel time, produce cost–volume relationships that might appear unacceptable from both the highway agencies' and the road users' perspective. To overcome such a limitation it is suggested that a cost of comfort and convenience should be computed and added to the user cost.Basing their proposal on a survey of Alberta households and the actual practice of road sizing by Alberta Transportation, the authors present a generalized mathematical model to estimate the cost of comfort and convenience. The structure of the model and its independent variables include the considerations of (a) the relative importance of driving comfort as perceived by road users, (b) the unsatisfied demand (overtaking demand minus actual overtaking) curve, (c) the type of road use, (d) volume-to-capacity ratio, (e) desired highway speed, and (f) vehicle classification. The paper discusses and demonstrates how this model can be calibrated and used for economic analysis for designing and upgrading of rural highways. Key words: transportation, highway economic analysis, road user costs, cost of comfort, speed–volume curves, highway design.

scholarly journals STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF GEOTEXTILE MATERIALS DURING CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS

2021 ◽  
pp. 112-121
Author(s):  
H.V. Slobodianyk ◽  
◽  
K.Z. Shokot ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Bearing Capacity ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Resistance Coefficient ◽  
The Body ◽  
Soil Reinforcement ◽  
Vertical Movements ◽  
The Road ◽  
The Cost

One of the real and promising ways to expand the range and types of structures for strengthening the slopes of embankments and dams is the use of geotextile materials. In the structures under consideration, they can perform protective, filtering, separating, reinforcing functions and moreover they improve the working conditions of the soil and layers of road pavements on the sides of the road and in the slope parts, increasing their stability. The use of geotextiles makes it possible to develop technically and economically effective design solutions. As the analysis of literature data has shown, soil reinforcement is an effective method for increasing the bearing capacity of foundations at a relatively low cost. Therefore, research, both theoretical and experimental, the development and creation of computational models taking into account the influence of reinforcing elements is an urgent problem. The paper considers the stress-strain state of a bulk dam without and with two options for the location of geotextiles. On the basis of the carried out numerical modeling, it is shown how when using geotextiles, the bearing capacity of a structure increases, while the volume of materials decreases. At the second stage, on the basis of the calculations, the optimal variant of the location of the geotextile material in the body of the structure was selected with the best technical and economic indicators. The research results show that when reinforcing the embankment with open clips in two rows – in the upper and lower parts-the smallest horizontal and vertical movements are obtained at almost the same total stresses. At the same time, the required value of the resistance coefficient is achieved, and the volume of soil is reduced. Thus, it can be concluded that the use of geotextile materials can reduce the cost of basic building materials while increasing operational characteristics and extending the service life of the structure.

scholarly journals Emergence Time Phasing for the Potential New Airports in the Middle District of Iraq

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 505-516
Author(s):  
Baraa Raad Mohammed ◽  
Muyasser Mohammed Jomaah ◽  
Raquim Nihad Zehawi
Keyword(s):  
System Dynamics ◽  
Road User ◽  
User Cost ◽  
System Dynamics Model ◽  
Dynamics Model ◽  
Transportation Services ◽  
The Road ◽  
On The Road ◽  
Equal Capacity ◽  
Economic Analyses

With the growing demand for air transportation and limited capacity at Baghdad International airport (BIAP), there is a need to increase the capacity of airport systems in the middle district of Iraq. The increased use of secondary airports has been and is expected to be one of the key mechanisms by which future demand is met in congested metropolitan areas. This paper analyzed the factors influencing the emergence of secondary airports in the Iraqi middle district and the dynamics of multi-airport systems. A system dynamics model was developed to simulate the relationship between the core airport in Baghdad and three potential secondary airports, one in each adjacent governorate. The model takes under consideration such characteristics as; capacity, location, proximity to populated communities, and ground transportation services for each airport. the main outcomes of this model are; the passenger's persuasion in an airport, which reflects their propensity to use this particular airport, and the predicted number of annual passengers in each airport. The system dynamics model was consulted twice. The outcomes of the first run facilitated the economic analyses of the secondary airports on which the sequence of the airports emergence was determined, and it also showed that the new airport feasibility is highly affected by the location, due to the influence on the road user cost for passengers, in addition to the capital expenses. The second run of the model helped in predicting the time schedule and interval between an airport emergence and the other. If the new airports have an equal capacity of one million passenger per year, the expected timing for the emergence is in 2023, 2027, and 2032 for the airports in Balad, Habbaniyah, and Baquba respectively.

Alternative Solvent for Reducing Health and Environmental Hazards in Extracting Asphalt: An Evaluation

2000 ◽  
Vol 1712 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly Collins-Garcia ◽  
Mang Tia ◽  
Reynaldo Roque ◽  
Bouzid Choubane
Keyword(s):  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Asphalt Binders ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
State Highway ◽  
Florida Department ◽  
Trade Name ◽  
Asphalt Paving ◽  
Environmentally Sound ◽  
State Highway Agencies

Trichloroethylene is a solvent currently used by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and many state highway agencies for separation of asphalt binders from asphalt paving mixtures in their quality control programs. However, it has been proved that trichloroethylene contributes to ozone depletion, and it is also known to be a carcinogen. The goal of the present study was to determine whether a more environmentally sound and less hazardous solvent could be used for this purpose. The solvent investigated is an n-propyl bromide with the trade name EnSolv. Preliminary studies show that it is safer than many other solvents available today. The study was performed to determine whether EnSolv could be a substitute for trichloroethylene without changing current testing methods. The tests performed included the asphalt solubility test, extraction and recovery of asphalt binders from mixtures, and penetration and viscosity tests with the recovered binders. The results of the study showed that EnSolv could be a suitable replacement for trichloroethylene. In addition, EnSolv could also be recycled and reused in the extraction and recovery procedures.

scholarly journals Differential safety liability of road and rail

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Murray Alexander King
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Road User ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Road ◽  
Safety Aspects ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Cost

<p>Rail safety is closely controlled, but there is less supervision of the actual road, its construction and condition. Safety is the responsibility of the road user, not the provider. This is a feature of the common law, including the rule that no liability attaches to road omissions, and of legislation governing road and rail. It has its roots in the many centuries of highway development. New Zealand legislation has few safety duties for road owners, but very comprehensive and strict obligations for railways. This is also true internationally, except that in some jurisdictions there are enhanced controls on road. Health and safety laws may not cover the public safety aspects of roads, but they do cover all aspects of railways. The imbalance increases the cost and reduces the effectiveness of rail. Potential reforms of the law are proposed.</p>

scholarly journals Differential safety liability of road and rail

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Murray Alexander King
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Road User ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Road ◽  
Safety Aspects ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Cost

<p>Rail safety is closely controlled, but there is less supervision of the actual road, its construction and condition. Safety is the responsibility of the road user, not the provider. This is a feature of the common law, including the rule that no liability attaches to road omissions, and of legislation governing road and rail. It has its roots in the many centuries of highway development. New Zealand legislation has few safety duties for road owners, but very comprehensive and strict obligations for railways. This is also true internationally, except that in some jurisdictions there are enhanced controls on road. Health and safety laws may not cover the public safety aspects of roads, but they do cover all aspects of railways. The imbalance increases the cost and reduces the effectiveness of rail. Potential reforms of the law are proposed.</p>

scholarly journals Impact of CO2 Emissions on Low Volume Road Maintenance Policy: Case Study of Serbia

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (12) ◽  
pp. 747-755
Author(s):  
Jelena Ćirilović Stanković ◽  
Goran Mladenović ◽  
Cesar Queiroz
Keyword(s):  
Agency Costs ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Environmental Cost ◽  
Road User ◽  
Maintenance Policy ◽  
The Road ◽  
User Costs ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Optimal Maintenance Policy

About 20% of the Serbian national road network has sections with low volume traffic. These sections are maintained in relatively poor condition since the maintenance budget is typically allocated to the road sections with most traffic. This paper aims to define the appropriate maintenance policy for keeping these sections in “optimal” condition. The traditional approach has been to consider as optimal the condition leading to the minimum sum of road agency costs and road user costs. However, currently there is an emphasis on including environmental cost (greenhouse gas emissions, in particular) into pavement management systems. This extends the concept of optimum by defining it as the maintenance policy leading to the minimum sum of (a) road agency costs, (b) road user costs, and (c) the cost to society of CO2 emissions. Three potential influencing factors are further analyzed: traffic loading, pavement structural number, and the initial condition of the road section. The World Bank’s Road Network Evaluation Tools (RONET) model was used to analyze the Serbian low volume road network and develop the optimal maintenance policy. The results show that the cost of CO2 emissions plays an important role in calculating the optimal policy, but unlike the high volume parts of the road network, in the case of low volume roads, a substantial part of total emissions is related to the production and placement of new pavement layers, rather than from vehicle emissions.

scholarly journals Geofencing to Enable Differentiated Road User Charging

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812199551
Author(s):  
Petter Arnesen ◽  
Hanne Seter ◽  
Ørjan Tveit ◽  
Mats Myhrvold Bjerke
Keyword(s):  
Travel Behavior ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Road User ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
Dual Purpose ◽  
The Road ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
On The Road ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Road User Charging

Tolling normally has a dual purpose in Norway. Its first goal is to finance a project or an improvment in the transport services offered in an area, for instance extend public transport services. The second goal is to change travel behavior, encouraging drivers of private cars to use other more environmentally friendly modes. Today, this tolling system is based on fixed points on the road network which are not necessarily able to record all road usage evenly. Within the GeoSUM (Geofencing for Smart Urban Mobility) research project, a distance and fuel differentiated road user charging scheme has been piloted. Instead of fixed point tolling, this system enables the driver to perceive that the cost is directly related to how much gasoline or electricity is used on the road network. The key technology for this system is geofencing, and the pilot results show that the proposed system did indeed increase the amount electricity used for driving inside the geofence zones, reducing in turn the amount of fossil-based fuel used.

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