Resource Management of Bridge Deck Rehabilitation: Jacques Cartier Bridge Case Study
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 134, Issue 5
Abstract
The condition and performance of bridges vary widely across North America. The large amount of expenditures on bridges needs significant efforts to optimize budget and resource allocation and to select the best rehabilitation or replacement method, which reduces project cost and duration. Simulation has been widely used in the construction area to optimize productivity and resource allocation. Current research optimizes resource combination for bridge deck rehabilitation projects using discrete event simulation. The Jacques Cartier Bridge redecking project is selected as a case study. Data related to productivity and duration of different activities were collected from the project. Probability distributions are fitted, which show the robustness of normal distribution to fit most variables. A simulation model is developed for this project in order to experiment with and perform sensitivity analysis. Based on the simulation results, an optimum resource combination of deck rehabilitation is obtained, which is [five teams, two saws, three old section trucks, and five new panel trucks] TSON 5235 with the unit (panel) cost of (direct cost only). The model developed is tested against real productivity where it shows reasonable results. The present research is relevant to both researchers and practitioners. It provides bridge redecking researchers with a real case study, a simulation model, and an approach to analyze projects. It also provides practitioners with an approach to optimize the usage of their resources considering direct project cost.
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Acknowledgments
The writers appreciate the cooperation of Mr. Guy Mailhot from the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated, Mr. Adel Zaki and Mr. Raymond Coté from SNC Lavalin in providing the data about Jacques Cartier Bridge, and providing suggestions related to the simulation model.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 134 • Issue 5 • May 2008
Pages: 311 - 319
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 5, 2006
Accepted: Oct 22, 2007
Published online: May 1, 2008
Published in print: May 2008
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