Effects of Flexible Notice-to-Proceed Provisions on the Performance of Transportation Infrastructure Projects

When alternative contracting techniques are considered, one innovative approach for assuring the performance of a transportation infrastructure project is offering contractors flexibility about when they start the project. Although such flexible notice-to-proceed (NTP) provisions are becoming more common, quantitative studies examining their impact on project performance are nonexistent. This study investigates the likely effects of flexible NTP provisions on competitive bidding, bid prices, and contract time. A dataset gathered from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, United States, was carefully stratified by type and size of project to allow for unbiased analysis. The results from the hypothesis testing revealed that projects with flexible NTP provisions were more competitive in relation to bidding. The results also indicated a positive correlation between the length of flexible time window and award growth. This study is the first of its kind and will help state transportation agencies make better-informed decisions by providing a point of reference when adopting NTP provisions for alternative contracting projects.

Metro Transport Corporations:

Urban mobility revolution is transforming and traditional transportation agencies may be ill-equipped to oversee the changes. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. transit ridership was down as more people in metropolitan areas chose the convenience of options like Uber and Lyft. The apparent durability of working from home has exacerbated both fiscal and equity challenges for transit. Meanwhile, vehicle travel is already ahead of pre-pandemic levels in 15 states. The combination of reduced transit ridership and more cars threatens to worsen the challenges posed by climate change. Consumers have demonstrated their preference for the convenience new technologies provide. But the skills and capabilities of traditional urban transit agencies do not foster innovation. We propose that urban mobility be overseen by “Metro Transport Corporations,” public-private partnerships that combine the accountability of government with the entrepreneurial and technology-savvy influence of the private sector to address equity and sustainability challenges while driving superior customer service.

Exploring the interaction effect of poverty concentration and transit service on highway traffic during the COVID-19 lockdown

During COVID-19 lockdowns, transit agencies need to respond to the decline in travel but also maintain the essential mobility of transit-dependent people. However, there are a few lessons that scholars and practitioners can learn from. Using highway traffic data in the Twin Cities, this study applies a generalized additive model to explore the relationships among the share of low-income population, transit service, and highway traffic during the week that occurred right after the 2020 stay-at-home order. Our results substantiate that transportation impacts are spread unevenly across different income groups and low-income people are less able to reduce travel, leading to equity concerns. Moreover, transit supply influences highway traffic differently in areas with different shares of low-income people. Our study suggests that transportation agencies should provide more affordable travel options for areas with concentrated poverty during lockdowns. In addition, transit agencies should manage transit supply strategically depending on the share of low-income people to better meet people’s mobility needs.

Impact of Truck Parking Facilities on Commercial and Industrial Land Values: A Spatial Hedonic Model

Strategic locations for truck parking capacity expansion should be selected to maximize benefits to drivers and industry while minimizing negative externalities to communities. To select strategic locations, local governments, developers, state transportation agencies, and private truck stop operators need to understand how parking facilities affect local economies. Although sufficient parking capacity allows drivers to adhere to federally mandated rest requirements, demand for safe parking is outpacing supply. Truck parking demand is likely to grow as freight tonnage is estimated to increase 1.2% per year between 2018 and 2045 and mandates for electronic logging devices go into effect. However, truck parking facilities can be viewed by local communities and real-estate developers as producing pollution, noise, and congestion. Yet, they may also represent economic opportunities for tax revenues for the local economy and agglomeration benefits for surrounding trucking-related industries. To address these concerns, a systematic, data-driven review of the economic impacts of truck parking facilities is critical. This paper applied a spatial-autoregressive model with autoregressive disturbances to estimate the impact on commercial and industrial land values attributed to proximity to truck parking facilities. Significant benefits to local land values were found: every 1% increase in distance from a parking facility was associated with a 0.284% decrease in land values, which corresponds to a $2,465/acre reduction in value for an average parcel. The findings of the study could help transportation agencies and truck stop operators strategically locate truck parking facilities to harness the economic benefits to local communities.

Constructability Reviews Utilization Practices for Traditional and Alternative Project Delivery Methods Across State Transportation Agencies

State Transportation Agencies (STAs) recognized that to enhance the quality of construction documents, a review process must be incorporated into project planning, design, and procurement to evaluate projects for constructability. The benefits promised by constructability reviews (CRs) encouraged STAs to adopt it as part of their operations. This approach soon evolved into a structured process, recognized by researchers and practitioners as, the constructability review process (CRP). A significant component to the CRP success is to involve experienced construction personnel in CRs during the design phase; a major limitation of the traditional design-bid-build (DBB) delivery method. To overcome this limitation, more emphasis is being placed towards alternative project delivery methods (APDMs). As such, design–build (DB) and construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) are among the APDMs most utilized by STAs to deliver transportation projects. Although extensive research has investigated CRs under DBB projects, research on CRs implementation under APDMs is remarkably absent. This study examines CRs utilization and staffing practices adopted by STAs across DBB, DB, and CM/GC projects. The results of this study were drawn utilizing data collected through a national survey questionnaire and interviews with selected STAs. The study found that CRs are initiated and implemented at proportionally similar phases across DBB, DB, and CM/GC projects. Investigation of staffing needs revealed that although the agency holds the executive role in implementation of CRs on DBB projects, their role shifts on DB projects to become more administrative. The agency continues to be involved in CRs under CM/GC projects, along with their allocated design consultant, in conjunction with the GC. The results of this study are anticipated to provide STAs with guidance for CRs utilization on DBB, DB and CM/GC projects.

Identification of Risk Factors Associated with Fatal Intersection Crashes and Assessment of the In-Service Safety Performance of Signalized Intersections and Roundabouts in Abu Dhabi

Several research studies conducted in North America and Europe have consistently shown that converting signalized intersections into roundabouts leads to safety benefits. These studies have led North American and European transportation agencies to convert hundreds of signalized intersections into roundabouts over the last few decades. Meanwhile, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has replaced many of its long-standing roundabouts with signalized intersections (i.e., controlled by traffic lights) despite the fact that no UAE-based scientific study comparing the safety performance of these two intersection types can be found in the literature. Hence, the objectives of this paper are to (i) identify factors that significantly contribute to fatal intersection-related crashes and (ii) assess the in-service safety performance of signalized intersections and roundabouts. It is anticipated that the findings from this research will provide road designers and decision-makers with much needed scientific guidance on which factors contribute to fatal intersection crashes as well as on whether converting existing roundabouts into signalized intersections improves public safety or not in Abu Dhabi. The findings from this research should also benefit neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries considering their similarities in road design, traffic characteristics, and driving culture.